


Fill for hobbit_kink-Bofur

by BurglarFerret



Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 05:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 25,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/707143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurglarFerret/pseuds/BurglarFerret
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Bofur is a knight in shining armor, of sorts.  Warning-its fairly long, and rather fluffy in parts.  Also, an Original Female Character (human in this case) is present so if those are not to your liking, you may not want to read.  Warnings-men being jerks, lewdness, mention of non-con.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. WhiteKnight! Bofur

**Author's Note:**

> First fill for anything in any fandom, ever! Also, unbeta-ed so any mistakes are my own. Written for fun!

The Bucket of Blood was,to be blunt,a dive. A dingy, cramped, crowded hole in the wall. Certainly no place for a self respecting Dwarf such as himself, thought Bofur. But all the same, here he was. It was the only place on the road between the Misty Mountains and Bree. Even so, he would have taken his chances out of doors, except for the fact that it was raining. And it was no gentle shower either. A great deluge, complete with flickers of lightning and cracks of thunder. He sighed and downed the remains of his ale. Even before he could set the tankard down on the table, it was plucked from his grasp by the lone barmaid scurrying about the room.

"Have you another in just a moment sir!' she called over her shoulder as she wove her way between the crush of patrons and maze of tables. Bofur thought about calling out to her, telling her there was no big hurry, but he didn't want to distract her. Judging from the armolad of dishes, tankards, and assorted tableware she was balancing in her arms she would need every bit of her concentration. Bofur followed her around the room with his eyes as she added more crockery and more silverware to her load. He wondered what had driven the poor lass to seek work in a rat hole like this. He cast his gaze over to the fireplace where the lazy weasel of an inkeeper was playing at dice with some friends. She certainly didn't look like him; his hair was a dishevled mass of red, hers was gold as spun sunlight. He was short and rotund, she (while also short) was slender as a switch. Bofur shook his head; father and daughter they were not. She must owe a debt or some similar situation. She had finished her rounds now, setting the dirty dishes down behind the bar. No sooner had her hands left the trays than she began filling tankards. As soon as she had enough to carry she was off again, sidestepping between chairs, threading her way through patrons to set the great foaming mugs of ale neatly in front of them. More than a few leered at her chest as she bent down, or tilted their heads a little to better see her retreating backside. Bofur felt a spark of pity for her; he knew what drunk men did to pretty little maids. Usually though, there was a large, fearsome doorsman or a protective innkeeper with a fireplace poker to keep them in their place. Not so here. As he watched her trot back behind the bar to fetch another round of ales, Bofur found himself wondering just what she did when things slid that way. She probably didn't try to fight, he mused as she set a trio of ales down to a tableful of louts. She wasn't any kind of match for them that way. Perhaps she ran, he thought, resting his chin in his hand. She was reaching to the bar to retrieve the last of her ales when one of the Louts leaned his chair a good distance back, reached out and grabbed her rear end. With a surprised squeak, she spun about, blundering into the Lout's outstretched arm and taking him off balance. He fell backwards, landing with a crash that rattled the floorboards. 

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry sir!" she gushed, quickly kneeling by the Lout's side. "So very very sorry. You just surprised me is all. Here, let me help..."she was cut off in mid sentance as the Lout gave her a rough shove, nearly knocking her into Bofur's table. But she caught her balance before she hit and remained standing. "Of course, sir." she said with a nod. "Again, very sorry sir." She straightened her apron and smoothed her hair behind her ears.

"Summer!" the innkeeper snapped from his table by the fireplace. The barmaid flinched at the flint in his tone, but turned to look at him. 

"Yes sir?" she asked meekly. 

"Any ale that you've spilt is coming out of your wages." he growled. Summer nodded. Bofur frowned. He hadn't seen any ale get spilled. Then it dawned on him. Of course there wasn't any ale spilled. She did this all the time. Kicking drunks down to size without appearing to do it on purpose was old hat to her. 

"Your ale, sir." She'd fetched the rest of her ales, distribtuted them, and was now placing his tankard on the table. All in barely the wink of an eye. 

"Thank ye lass." he said, offering her a lopsided smile. He made sure to look at her eyes (green, they were) and not her chest. 

"Quite welcome, sir." she said, returning the barest hint of a smile. Bofur watched as she trotted back behind the bar. Perhaps now she'd sit and rest her feet. But no, she went after the dishes, scrubbing and rinsing and stacking. And then wiping empty tables. Tapping fresh kegs of ale. Stoking the fire. It was not the orderly bustle of someone who was enjoying what they were doing. It was frantic scampering and scurrying: too much to do and nowhere near enough hands to get it all done. As he took another pull from his tankard and watched Summer scrape yet another stack of plates, he overheard one of the Louts at the other table mutter something that sounded like "...teach the wench a lesson." There were grumbles of assent and the words "purchase" and "evening's entertainment" filtered out. Bofur ground his teeth and clenched his free hand around the handle of his mattock. He had half a mind to get up right now and give every one of them a sound thrashing. But he had previous obligations which he could not fulfil if he was locked in a closet or cellar while the men decided how best to deal with him. He glanced back to Summer, who was busily stacking crockery on a shelf. Perhaps there was a way to spare her. He turned his gaze back to the Louts. Well, if they could buy her company, so could he. 

Setting his tankard down, he stood up and strolled over to the innkeeper's table. 

"My good sir," he asked politely. The man turned his head and fixed Bofur with an unpleaseant look.  
"Yes?" his tone clearly said he was far too busy to be bothered with some simpleton's request, so why didn't Bofur go and bother someone else. It was something Bofur was pretty familiar with. 

"I'd like to inquire about the little mouse of a lass over there." he nodded in Summer's direction. The innkeeper followed his gaze, looked back at him and shrugged. 

"Summer?" his voice held an edge of derision. "What about her?"  
"What does she do?" Bofur asked. 

"Spills my ale, knocks over my customers and breaks my crockery, as you saw earlier." he growled. Bofur shook his head and pasted what he hoped was a dirty smile on his face. 

"No, no, you mistake my meaning." he said, lowering his voice. "What does she do?" The weasel of an innkeeper raised his eyebrows, nodding in understanding. 

"I would imagine that, for the right price, she would do just about anything" he said. Bofur nodded and fished his coin purse out of one of his pockets. 

"Let's talk price then." he said, casting a look over his shoulder. 


	2. In Which Bofur Puts His Plan Into Action...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur is a sweetheart. But we knew that all ready.

Bofur sat in one of the two chairs in his rented room, poking viciously at a log burning in the grate. He never ever wanted to haggle over someone like they were a head of livestock ever again. It made him feel...dirty. And vaugely ill. And the innkeeper...by the time they were through, Bofur had wanted to roast him over his own cooking fire. The man was worse than a pig. But, his impromptu plan had worked; he had "purchased"-he hated that word!-Summer for the night, along with a kettle of stew and a small cask of ale. 

"For the entire night?" the innkeeper had asked doubtfully. Bofur nodded.

"I have two companions arriving later." he had said. "So we'll be...busy." The innkeeper shrugged.   
"As long as she's awake to milk the cow in the morning." he had said. He stowed Bofur's payment away. "How soon will you be wanting her?" 

"As soon as you can spare her." Bofur had broke out his dirty smile again, hoping to convince the man of his "eagerness." 

"Well, she needs to split some more logs for the fire, but the dishes can wait till tomorrow." said the innkeeper. "Anything for a paying customer." Bofur could have cheerfully hit him. But instead he'd excused himself and come up to his room to wait. He'd lit a fire against the chill in the air and unpacked his bedroll. He doubted the poor girl slept in a warm bed at night. And while this bed was lumpy and faintly musty smelling, it was still a bed. 

A quiet knock took his attention from his log murdering. Laying aside the poker, he got up and crossed the room. He opened the door and, sure enough it was Summer: ale tucked under one arm, stew pot, bowls and tankards carefully balanced in her free hand. A look of tightly reined fear on her face. 

"Well hello!" he said cheerfully, stepping back to allow her through the door. "Come in, its all right." Summer drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders a bit, and stepped inside. Bofur felt a twinge at his heart; it was a great pity that she had to steel herself to step into a room the same way larger men steeled themselves for a fight. He closed the door behind her, slid the bolt home and turned to face her. 

"Where do you want these?" she asked, indicating the stew and ale in her arms. "And...how do you want me?" By Durin, there was a bit of steel in her voice. Not the inviting kind, but the kind that bit and drew blood. But then, there would have to be, wouldn't there. She'd never have been able to endure all that she had if her will and pride had been less than iron. 

"Those can go over on the table." Bofur waved a hand in the general direction of the fireplace, "And as for you...I'm not going to lay a finger on you all night. I swear." Summer tilted her head a bit.

"So you want me to do all the work for you." she said, walking over to the table and setting the cask and kettle down with a clunk. "Odd, but I suppose stranger things have..." 

"No, no lass, you misunderstand." Bofur shook his head. Had she truly been used so badly that she was misinterpreting simple kindness? "I didn't bring you up here to bed you. I brought you here because you looked like you could use a night's respite." Summer frowned, eyes narrowing, and took a couple of steps backward. 

"Respite..." she repeated slowly. "I...I don't quite understand your game." 

"Not a game, dear lass." said Bofur. By the Fathers' scraggly beards, he wanted to take every single lout and miscreant that had ever laid a finger on her and fling them from a cliff. "I merely noticed how hard you were working downstairs, and how little you were recieving in return, and thought that you deserved the night off." He perched himself in the nearer of the two chairs. "Sit down, have some stew, bit of ale." Summer looked at him, at the stew and ale on the table, then back to him before gingerly sitting down on the edge of the other chair. Bofur offered her an encouraging smile and ladeled her a bowlful of stew. "Best eat that before it get..." a loud hammering on the door interrupted him. Quick as an eyeblink, Summer siezed the fireplace poker and had it aimed in the general direction of the noise. 'Done that a few times, she has.' Bofur thought to himself. "Its all right." he said, getting up. "I know who it is; they're friends."  
"I don't have friends." Summer said, fear clipping her words short.


	3. Hey Look!  Its Fili and Kili...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili are added to the mix...

"Well you have now." Bofur strode over to the door. "One at least, and probably two more in the course of the evening." WIth that reassurance, he opened the door. 

"Evening, Bofur." said Kili, stepping into the room. His blonde brother Fili followed right behind him.

"Innkeeper was babbling something about "being entertained". Fili said, not noticing Summer hunkered down by the fireplace. He began stripping off his weapons. "I don't know what he's talking about. Nothing entertaining about this place at all. Its awful." Bofur noticed Summer's eyes getting rounder and rounder with every blade and axe that was tossed on the bed. 

"Said something about summer to." added Kili, taking off his quiver and unslinging his bow. "As if I don't know what season it is. He's touched in the head or something." Poor Summer's eyes were nearly falling out of their sockets now. She'd backed into a corner and was holding the poker with both hands, trembling. Bofur thought he had better intervene. So he laid a hand on each of their shoulders and stilled them for a moment. 

"Lads..." he nodded in her direction. The brothers looked over and Summer shrank even further into the corner. "this is Summer." The pair frowned in unison. 

"She doesn't look very summer like." commented Fili. "Kind of drab and mousy, really." 

"I don't think she can really help it, considering what she endures around here." Bofur said in mild exasperation.

"Aye, that's probably true." said Kili. "Place like this would suck the life out near anyone." He crossed his arms and leaned over towards Bofur. "So...why is she up here?" Bofur opened his mouth to answer but Summer beat him to it. 

"I am here so that you may do with me as you please." her voice was shrill as she laid aside the poker and stood up. "I don't know what or how, but if you'll just tell me I'll do my best to...fulfill your needs." The brothers frowned harder, shooting questioning looks at Bofur.

"Summer, I've all ready said I won't touch you. I promise." Bofur reassured her. She shook her head, obviously still scared.

"Aye, you did." she said. "But you didn't say anything of them." She indicated Fili and Kili. "Perhaps you'll watch while they use me. Or while I do things to them. Or all three of you watch whilst I do things to myself." She folded her hands in front of her, lacing her fingers so tight her knuckles whitened. "Just...tell me what it is you want." 

"What I want, Summer, is for you to eat that stew before it gets cold." Bofur said. "And then have yourself another helping if you're still hungry." 

"I think I've some waybread in my pack if you'd like." broke in Fili. Summer's eyes darted to the blonde brother's face, still mistrustful. 

"And I've a bit of cheese." added Kili. Summer's wary gaze flicked in Kili's direction, back to Fili, once again to Kili. Blinking rapidly, she finally looked at Bofur, confusion and fear battling with hope. 

"Lass," he said, putting every ounce of earnestness he could muster into his words, "we won't hurt you. We want to help." Summer blinked some more, took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. 

"All...all right." she said, finally sitting down at the table.


	4. Plotting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili have an idea. Bofur thinks its great. Summer is...dubious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I had to overlap the chapters a bit. For some reason, I couldn't edit the previous chapter. Odd.

"Lass," he said, putting every ounce of earnestness he could muster into his words, "we won't hurt you. We want to help." Summer blinked some more, took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. 

"All...all right." she said, finally sitting down at the table. Fili, having finished rummaging in his pack, went over to her and presented half a loaf of waybread with a smile. Kili followed suit with a hunk of yellow cheese. Summer, still a bit unsure, squeaked a thank you. The brothers offered her a pair of winsome smiles. 

"We'll not lay a hand on you either." promised Kili. Fili nodded in agreement. Bofur watched as Summer nibbled a bit of the bread, eyes searching their faces. When she finally nodded back at them, he smiled in relief. She believed them. 

"So," Fili said, turning around, "what exactly is she doing up here?" Bofur shook his head sadly.

"I couldn't leave her down there." he explained. "The fate she'd have been sent to..." He told them in low tones, so not to upset Summer, of what he'd witnessed earlier that evening. Her slaving away in the common room, the table full of Louts, "teach the wench a lesson", the greedy weasel of an innkeeper who sold her for an entire evening. "He didn't seem concerned what I might do to her," fumed Bofur "except that she might not be able to work in the morning. He told me, though, that if I did wish to 'use her roughly' that I was welcome to, for an extra fee." He cast a look over his shoulder. Summer was wiping the dregs of her stew from her bowl using the last of Fili's waybread. How many had paid that "extra fee?" How often had she been so abused that she couldn't walk or move the next day? He turned back to the brothers. "I had to do something." 

"Aye." agreed Kili. "We'd have done the same." Fili looked over at him. "Well, perhaps not exactly the same." 

"There'd be a dead innkeeper, for one." said Fili. Bofur nodded. He'd all ready wished several painful deaths on the man in the course of the evening. 

"Its..its not all...that bad." came a voice from the hearth. All three of them turned around. Summer had tucked knees up under her chin and was staring contemplativly at the flickering fire. "I mean...parts are bad, but its not all bad. I have a roof at night, a bite to eat...its better than being thrown into the cold." 

"Oh Summer..." said Bofur with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Summer shook her head with a sad smile. 

"I'm not upset." she said. "Its...I have to search for the little bits of good amongst all the bad. Its the only way I can survive." 

"Why?" Bofur asked. "I mean...why is it the only way you can survive? Surely there's something you can do." 

"You've seen it; the only thing I can do is pretend to accidentally knock a drunken pig off his chair." said Summer. "And really, that was probably not that good of an idea. Had he had me this night instead of you, I'd wager things would have gone badly for me." 

"Can you not...fight? Somehow?" asked Kili. His brows were deeply knitted in concentration; he seemed to be trying very hard to understand just how someone could say such a wreched existance was not so bad. Summer shrugged.  
"Oh, aye, I used to fight. Used to. But it only makes them angrier. And then they use me worse. Flog me with a belt, choke me, burn me with embers from the fire..." she shook her head and Bofur felt his heart twist in pain. "...no, its best not to fight. I've learned its easier to do as I'm told or to just lie still and let them take what they want." 

"And yet you stay." said Fili. Bofur detected the tinest touch of admiration in his voice. No surprise; his own opinion of Summer was growing. Her perseverence and fortitude was something to be admired indeed.

"What else should I do?" Summer asked with a snort. Fili looked over at his brother, then at Bofur. It was obvious from the glint in his eye that he was hatching a plan. And Bofur would just bet he knew what it was. 

"Well, the opposite of staying is...leaving." he said, sharing a look with the Durin brothers. Summer blinked, looking from one to the next to the next; the expression on her face said she thought they had all lost their minds. 

"And how...should I do that?" she asked. "Shall I summon a magical flying....broomstick? That will carry me far far away?" 

"Well if you can do that we'd be most greatful." said Kili. "Flying about on a broomstick surely beats walking." 

"Except for the splinters." remarked Fili. Summer looked around helplessly, baffflement written on her face. 

"What...what exactly are they talking about?" she asked, finally turning to Bofur. 

"Well lass," he said with a great smile, "if its all right with you, we mean to help you escape from this awful place."


	5. And More Plotting...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Summer is convinced...

"Es...escape?" There were equal parts disbelief, fear and hope in her voice. "Escape to where?"

"Do you know of Bree?" asked Fili. Summer nodded. "There is an inn there, the Prancing Pony." 

"What has that to do with me?" asked Summer. Fili and Kili looked over, and Bofur smiled. Oh yes, this was a very good idea. It couldn't have worked out better if it had been planned in advance. 

"Well, its a very large inn." said Bofur. "Bree's right at the intersection of the Great East Road and the Great North Road. Many many many people coming and going all the time. Always wanting a place to stay and something to eat."

"And poor Butterburr, well he's only got his wife and daughter to help him run things." chimed in Kili.

"He's quite a nice fellow." said Bofur. "Heart as big as a beer barrel."

"We would imagine he would quite like to have some extra help around the place." Fili said. Summer looked down at the floor.

"It sounds very nice," she said in a quiet voice, "but...how are we to get there? I've never even been out of eyesight from here." 

"We walk." said Kili, giving her a toothy smile. "Unless you were serious about that flying broomstick."

"Broo...no, no I wasn't." She still seemed uncertain, as though she was waiting for one of them to tell her it was all a cruel joke. Bofur could hardly blame her. Doubtless she'd learned not to trust anyone; three unknown, heavily armed Dwarves with a half concieved plan to steal her away were surely high on that list. 

"Summer," he said, going over and crouching beside her. He thought for a second to take one of her hands, or put one of his own on her shoulder to reassure her. But he'd promised he wouldn't touch her, and he meant it in every sense of the word. Instead he settled for tilting his head so he could meet her downcast gaze. "Summer, no one in this room is going to force you to do anything you do not want to. If you truly wish to stay, then we will let you crawl into that bed and bid you farewell in the morn. But it would make all of us unbearably sad to leave you here to suffer." Summer lifted her head a bit, chewing on her bottom lip. Thinking.

"Is it...is it very far?" she asked timidly. Bofur nodded; he wasn't about to lie to her.

"Aye, its a number of days." he looked over at the Durin brothers. "Five or six, wouldn't you say?"  
"Six." responded Fili. "Five would be pushing a bit hard." Bofur looked back to Summer; her expression was unchanged. Well, the number hadn't completly frightened her away at any rate. 

"Six days." he affirmed. "There's no protection from the weather, so if its raining you get wet. If the sun is shining, you may well get warm. And you'd be putting up with the three of us." he gestured at himself and the other two. 

"He snores." Kili pointed at his blonde brother. Fili punched him on the arm.

"Do not." he said. Glancing at Summer, he added. "I might mumble a bit, but I don't snore."

"I...well...that's...I don't mind, I suppose?" said Summer, seeming a bit overwhelmed by the fast talking pair. She looked over to Bofur, eyes asking for reassurance. He smiled gently. 

"So you're with us then?" he asked. Summer looked around the room and Bofur could see her weighing the options. Stay here with food and a bed and abject misery...or embark on a half planned journey with three Dwarves she'd met only in the past hour. 

"Yes." she said in that whisper-squeak of hers. She shook her head, took a deep breath. "Yes." she repeated in a stronger voice. 

"Good lass!" said Bofur. Summer smiled at the praise. 

"Very good!" affirmed Kili, straightening up from where he'd leaned on the foot of the bed. "Now," he continued with a mischevious smile. "I'm going to go downstairs and fetch another cask of ale. And I'll be sure to let it slip that we're heading east."

"Let it sli...."Summer looked like someone had thrust a knife in her ribs. Then she realized what Kili's words and that glint in his eye meant. "Ohhhh, I see." Kili nodded.

"Aye." he said. "Send any pursuit on a wild goose chase." With those words and a wink, he left. Bofur heard him whistling as he made his way down the hall. 

"Fili," he turned to the blonde brother. "Have you got a spare cloak you can lend Summer?" Fili nodded.

"Aye, I've got the dark one that I never wear because its a bit heavy." he replied, going to his pack and digging around in it. Half a moment later he pulled the article in question out, gave it a shake and tossed it to Bofur. 

"Here, try this on." Bofur stood up and held the cloak open. Summer got up and, turning around, let him drape the heavy woolen material around her shoulders. "There. Fits rather well, I think." he said, stepping back. Summer's small form was covered from neck to knee in the burgandy fabric. It hid the fact that she was a young woman rather well; in fact, it hid most everything except that she was short. 

"Pull the hood up and you could almost be mistaken for one of us." said Fili. "Which might not be a bad idea." Obediantly, Summer pulled the hood over her head, pulling the front of it down so that half her face was hidden. 

"Like this?" she asked, looking at them from under the material. Bofur nodded. 

"Aye, just so." he said. "We'll put a couple of braids in your hair-most all of us wear them-and at a glance anyone will think you're a Dwarf." Summer pulled the hood back and smiled. Not quite a full smile; there was still a good bit of uncertainty there. But there was also hope, like a flicker of sunshine after a pouring rain. 

"Thank you." she said. "Fili and..." as she trailed off, Bofur realized that none of them had been properly introduced.

"Oh! Bofur." he said, slightly embarassed. "I'm Bofur. Fili, obviously, " he waved a hand at the other dwarf, "and the imp downstairs is Kili."

"Kili." she repeated, "Fili." she nodded at the blonde brother and he smiled in return. "Bofur." She turned her gaze to him. 

"Aye." he said, also smiling.


	6. And away they go!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they make their getaway! Sorry its so short.

The sound of knuckles on wood took Bofur's attention to the door. Kili was back, stepping into the room with another small cask of ale tucked under his arm. 

"That man," he said, closing the door and sliding the bolt home. "is the most dreadful, filthy..." The young Dwarf shook his head, at a loss for words. "I'd be doing the world a favor if I put an arrow between his eyes." He looked over at Summer, pity plain in his eyes. "I don't know how you endured for so long." Summer offered a small, sad half smile. 

"I just...did, I guess." she said with a shrug. 

"Well, no longer." said Bofur. "We should leave soon. The sooner the better, in fact." The other two nodded.  


"Aye." said Fili, picking up his various weapons and resheathing them. "Distance is our ally, and so is the rain." 

"But...I don't understand." said Summer. "Some people will have certainly gone to bed...but there must be some still left in the common room. How are we to get past them?"

"That, my dear lass, is where the rain comes in." said Bofur. "Good and noisy, keeps anyone from wandering around outdoors, and the stormclouds have covered up the moon, so its nice and dark." 

"But we still have to get outside. We cannot simply stroll out the front door." insisted Summer. Bofur nodded, rolling up his blanket.  


"Oh aye, that's true enough." he said. "But why use a door when we have such a lovely big window?" Summer gaped at him.

"Lovely big win...you cannot be serious. We must be thirty feet from the ground!" she said in disbelief.

"Sure we are." Kili slung his quiver across his back and picked up his bow. "But we're only four from the roof."

"The roof..." Summer said nervously, wringing her hands. "The roof." she repeated.

"Summer," Bofur stepped close and, in a moment of boldness, took both her hands in his. "We'll not let you fall. I promise." She shut her eyes, drew a deep breath, and released it in a shivery exhale. Her hands tightened on his. 

"The roof it is, then." she said. Bofur smiled. The steel he'd heard in her voice when she'd first entered his room had come back. 

"Good lass." he said. leading her over to the window. Kili, the more agile of the brothers, had all ready climbed out onto the sill and was pulling himself onto the roof. His boot toes disappeared from view, and moments later his upside down face replaced them. 

"Lovely evening for a rooftop stroll." he remarked with a grin as he took his brother's arm to help him up. Bofur went next; he wasn't sure of Summer's strength, so they would have to lift her bodily from the window. 

"Over there, Bofur." indicated Fili with a jerk of his head. "We'll swing her up and you catch her." Bofur moved to the side; Fili had taken hold of one of Kili's hands, anchoring him. Kili leaned down over the window and extended his other hand.

"Grab on, Summer." the darker brother called over the storm. Bofur couldn't see in the darkness, but half a second later, Kili called "Pull!" to his brother. With a surge of muscle and a twist, the pair hauled Summer up and over, swinging her out over the muddy yard. Bofur caught her easily, pulling her close lest she lose her balance on the rain slick tiles. 

"Well done." he said, giving her an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. 

"Right then." called Kili. "This way. We'll climb down the chimney." Putting an arm around her waist to steady her, Bofur helped Summer up the steeply sloped roof. 

"Can you climb, lass?" he asked her as they made their way along the peak towards the squat stone mass that was inn's chimney. 

"Aye." she said. "I've climbed that thing more than once to clean it. Never in the rain and the dark though." 

"Slow and easy is the trick." he advised. He couldn't be sure, thanks to the darkness, but he thought he saw her nod. And that was exactly how it went. Foot by foot, one handhold at a time. Spread out far enough that no one accidentally stepped on someone's fingers. Squinting at the ground each time lightning flickered, trying to gauge the distance. Somewhat surprisingly, Summer reached the ground first.

"Perhaps a mountain goat instead of a mouse." teased Fili, setting foot in the mud seconds after her. Bofur jumped the last few feet, followed by Kili. They stood perfectly still for some moments, listening for any signs of someone inside noticing them: sudden light, a slamming door, shouts-anything that might indicate someone had seen or heard them. After several moments, when no sign came, Kili gave a jerk of his head. 

"Let's go." he whispered, leading off at a quick trot. Fili and Bofur followed, Summer right behind. Bofur noticed she didn't look back.


	7. Getaway!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they make good their escape. In the rain. Lots of walking. A bit long, really.

"How far are we going?" Summer asked when they had gotten some distance down the road. 

"As far as we can manage." replied Fili. "Or until we happen upon a good campsite, whichever comes first."

"Don't worry though, we shan't run you all night." added Kili. 

"If it truly means that I am escaping that awful prison, then you may run me till I drop." said Summer emphatically. 

"No one is going to be doing anything to anyone till they drop." said Bofur. "Or if they are, I want no part in it. I'd like to be able to travel in the morning." 

"I suppose that's true." agreed Summer. "This Dancing Pony sounds like a wonderful place. I just hope they'll have me." 

"Prancing Pony." corrected Bofur. The rain and clouds kept the moon hidden and the night in darkness, but he could hear Summer's squelching steps. Falling into pace beside her, he continued, "And I'm sure they'll take you in. Anytime I've been through Bree, Butterburr's always complaining about how things are too busy and he doesn't have enough help to handle all his patrons. 'Just one person more.' he says to me. 'One person, and things would be much easier.' Then he asks me if I'd like a job as a bartender."

"And you've said no, it appears." said Summer. 

"Aye, so far. I'm better at drinking ale than serving it." said Bofur with a grin. 

"That's very true." said Fili. "D'you remember that time you had a few too many and tried juggling the tankards?"

"I do, and if I recall correctly, I did very well." They'd slowed to a fast walk by now, since the rain had gotten heavier.

"That you did, until you laid hold of that half full one." chortled Kili. 

"Dwalin was not impressed." added Fili. The pair laughed, and Bofur joined in; Dwalin had been well into his cups that evening and his annoyance had not been over being soaked, but over the ale being wasted. The conversation took a turn in that direction; one Durin brother reminding the other of something silly he had done, or Bofur reminding them both of some mischief they'd gotten into. Or both of them recalling Bofur's less than intelligent moments. He laughed along with them, and as their steps ate away at the miles, he noticed that Summer began to laugh as well. Quiet chuckles only, but laughter all the same. That gave him a warm feeling in his chest; her fear was fading, bit by little bit. He was just about to launch into the story about the time he'd brought a ferret home in his hat when Kili gave a triumphant whoop.

"I see it!' he exclaimed excitedly. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd gone past it, but no, its just ahead." 

"What is it?" asked Summer. 

"Our sleeping place for the night." said Fili. "Good job not getting us lost, little brother." he added, giving Kili a playful shove. The darker brother swatted back as he lead the way off the track.

"I...don't see anything." Bofur heard Summer whisper to him. He patted her arm reassuringly. 

"If I'm not mistaken, its just ahead. Halfway up the hill. See! Right there." he pointed as lightning momentarily lit up the landscape. 

"I think I saw some rocks." said Summer. She was stepping carefully, trying not to slip in the mud. 

"Here, take my hand." said Bofur, reaching out to her. He felt rather than saw her hands, both of them, wrap around his. "Yes, those are rocks." he said, leading her up the slope. "And within those rocks is a nice, warm little cave."

"Nice and little, yes." called Kili from further up. "Warm will remain debateable until we can get a fire lit." 

"You're going to start a fire? In this?" Summer asked in a disbelieving tone. Bofur laughed as he helped her climb the rocks that littered the last few yards to the cave's mouth. 

"No lass, we're going to start a fire inside the cave." he teased gently, dropping to his knees in order to fit under the boulder that formed the top of the entrance. A few seconds later, he poked his head out and beckoned to Summer. "Its all right. Nothing dangerous in here." Another flicker of lightning silhouetted her momentairly as she crouched down and made her way in. 

"Its dark." she breathed. Half a second later, Bofur felt her blunder right into his chest. She squeaked in surprise and Bofur heard the soggy rustling of her wet clothes as she recoiled. 

"Summer, no, no..Summer, we'll have a light in a second, just stay still." he said in her direction. 

"Half a moment!" said Fili's voice from the other side. "I've dropped my flint." Bofur heard Kili mutter something uncomplimentary in Khuzdul and then some rattling as the younger Durin brother rooted around in his pack. A few moments later, sparks flew in a lightning bright shower as the two brothers tried to coax a pile of tinder into flame. Once it caught, they each lit their lantern from the flickering bundle. 

"That won't stay lit for long." observed Kili, setting his lantern to the side. "But no matter, we've got some light now. And as soon as we get some kindling, we'll have us a merry fire." He ducked back out into the rain, followed by his brother, with Bofur right behind them.

"We'll be just outside." he promised Summer. "I don't think anything here will harm you, but if you need something, give a shout." She nodded, the sodden hood of her borrowed cloak hanging over her face, and with an encouraging smile, Bofur left her. 

The rain had not abated at all. Any piece of wood was sure to be soaked, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't burn. Peel the thick bark off pine or cedar and it would catch with a little bit of coaxing, Bofur knew. So he, Fili, and Kili set about gathering as much wood as they were able from a nearby pine tree, making several trips back and forth to the cave entrance. 

"Will the little mouse be all right? " asked Fili, hacking away at a largeish branch with one of his smaller axes. 

"Summer? She'll be fine." said Bofur, breaking a couple of smaller twigs into shorter pieces. "I just don't think anyone's ever shown her a lick of kindness and she's not quite sure sure how to take it."

"She's warming up though." said Fili, wrenching at another branch. 

"Aye, she is. Beaten she might be, but broken she is not." agreed Bofur, remembering how she'd laid the drunken Lout out on the floor. "Mark my words, she'll come about." 

"No doubt." agreed Kili, leading the way back to the cave with an armload of firewood. 

"Y'still here lass?" Bofur called, ducking back into the cave, pine boughs in tow. Kili had all ready taken a seat in the back of the cave and was working on peeling the branches with a long knife. 

"Yes, I'm here." said Summer's voice from his left. She'd tucked herself into a corner just around from the entrance. Bofur smiled at her as he sat down on the other side of the entrance. 

"Well, everything's wet, but that's to be expected." he said, laying his bundle to the side as Fili made his way past him to sit next to his brother. "But luckily, you've chosen to run away with three Dwarves, and Dwarves can make a fire out of anything." 

"Except Fili because he drops his flint all the time." interjected Kili, earning him a smack from his blonde brother. Bofur chuckled to himself at their brotherly antics and continued with his branch peeling. 

"What...what does that do?" Summer asked quietly, leaning foreward with interest. 

"Oh, well, the bark on these pine trees is awfully thick, so it keeps out the rain." Bofur explained. "All you do is peel the bark off, let them air dry for a bit, then light them up." He tossed his shaved twig into the growing pile in front of him and started on another. 

"Does that always work?" Summer asked. 

"Oh aye, usually it does." said Bofur. "Sometimes you have to add a bit of wax to the tinder to keep it burning long enough for them to catch though. If they're really wet." Summer knuckled water out of her eyes and threw her hood back. 

"Can I help?" she asked, offering a hesitant smile, eager to please. Bofur grinned back at her.   
"Sure!" he said. "The more hands, the sooner the job gets done. And the sooner its done, the sooner we're warm!" 

"All right." said Summer, getting to her feet and crossing over. She seated herself between Bofur and Kili, picked up a twig, and set to picking at it with her fingers. 

"Oh no, Summer, here. Use this." said Fili, drawing one of his many knives from his left boot and extending it to her, butt first. Summer thanked him with a nod and a smile and set to work shaving her twig. 

It was not a great deal of work to get a fair sized pile of twigs shaved down. Nor was it much work to put a bundle of dry straw into the middle of the pile and get it to catch. It was some work, however, to get the thick bark off the bigger branches. But it was well worht it once the fire grew and the warmth began to spread through the small cave. 

"That will do nicely." Bofur said to himself, stacking the last of the firewood in an unoccupied corner. He turned back around just in time to catch Summer stifling a yawn. 

"You should get some sleep, lass." he said with a gentle smile. Summer returned his smile and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"I suppose I should." she mumbled, getting to her feet and returning to her own side of the fire. 

"You going to be warm enough?" Fili asked her. She nodded with another yawn and, leaning against the far wall, was soon fast asleep. 

"D'you think she really is warm enough?" Kili looked at Bofur. Bofur shrugged. 

"She might well be. Its a good hot fire we've got." he gestured at the flickering flames. "But its entirely possible she's still scared of us."

"Scared of...but we wouldn't dream of doing anything to her." protested Fili. "We're honorable Dwarves."

"And I'm sure she knows it." said Bofur. "But she's been scared of everything for so long...it won't go away overnight." 

"I suppose not." said Fili, shifting a bit and deliberatly elbowing his brother in the process. Kili punched him on the arm and the two fell into quiet brotherly teasing. Bofur only shook his head as he fetched a few more logs and threw them on the fire. It wouldn't do to have their little mouse catch a chill.


	8. Breakfast!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which breakfast is served and Summer's hair gets braided...

The next day dawned, but only just. The sky was still the color of slate, offering only the occasional glimpse of a watery sun. 

"But, it has stopped raining." Bofur informed Summer. He'd gone outside briefly to fetch more firewood, and she was helping him shave the bark off it. Fili and Kili had gone off to see what could be found for breakfast. "I'm not sure that we'll dry out any, but since its not falling out of the sky, we won't be getting any wetter." 

"I don't mind the rain; thanks to it, I'm cleaner than I have been in a very long time." Summer said. "I just wish I'd remembered to do something about my hair before I went to sleep. I think I've managed to tie it into knots."

"We'll have one of the brothers braid it when they get back." said Bofur. "We're making you look like one of us, remember?" 

"Aye." Summer replied. Catching his eye with a small half-smile, she added "Will I have to grow a beard?" Bofur laughed at her joke, which prompted her to continue, "I'm not sure I could manage to grow one quite like yours."

"No, I don't imagine." said Bofur, grinning widely at her. She grinned back; it was still not quite a full smile, but it was more of one than last night. Bofur felt that warm spark kindle in his chest again.

"Oi!" came Fili's voice from downslope. "Anyone hungry?" Summer looked up.

"I suppose a handful of berries would be nice." she said to nobody in particular. Fili crawled through the entrance, chuckling at her remark. 

"Berries!" he called outside. "Brother, she thinks we've been gathering berries this entire time." 

"Berries?" came Kili's answer. He shouldered his way through the mouth of the cave. "Summer, you wound me deeply." He presented a brace of hares. "Berries are for amateurs." Summer blinked a couple of times, seemingly considering something. 

"No," she said, her voice betraying just the tiniest hint of uncertainty. "No, its the other way 'round. Hares are for amateurs. Anyone can stalk and shoot a hare." Taking a breath, she continued, "It takes a great deal of skill to stalk and kill a berry." 

"Stalk and kill..." Kili looked at his brother and then at Bofur in befuddlement. Then it dawned on him. "Summer did you just make a joke?" he asked, glee creeping in around the edges of his words. Summer looked stricken. 

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, hands flying to her face. "I thought...I mean...I'll stop." Fili shook his head, a grin on his face. 

"No, no, really, its all right. Jokes are fine." he said with a chuckle. Summer looked around at them, uncertain.

"Aye lass. None of us here mind teasing." said Bofur, laughter in his voice. The warm spark in his chest had grown. "Quite honestly, I've been told that ferociously teasing one another is a mark of good friends."

"Friends." repeated Summer, the smile on her face growing. "I have...friends." 

"Aye." said Kili, nodding. "And as your friends, we've got to make sure you don't go hungry. So I'm going to go out and clean these," he held up the rabbits, "and mayhaps the rest of you can throw together a stew?" 

"Pretty sure I've got some potatos rolling around in the bottom of my pack." said Bofur. 

"I know I've got some carrots." added Fili, pulling his gear over and beginning to dig around in it. The tubers in question were soon found; Summer insisted on helping because she "learned a few useful things in that troll hole of a place." She cut up the vegetables amazingly quickly, prompting Fili to warn her to not slice off a finger. 

"I shan't." she reassured him. "I'm good at this." Bofur supposed she was; after all, she'd done it day after day for who knew how long. Kili returned, the rabbit meat was added, and the lid put on the pot to let it all cook. 

"Her hair needs braided." Bofur reminded the brothers as they began packing their bedrolls in preparation for leaving after breakfast.

"Oh aye, that's right." said Kili, buckling a strap on his pack. "Oi, Fili! We needs to tend to Summer's hair." 

"Righto." said the blonde brother. Looking over to where Summer was finishing the last dregs of her stew he said "Over here Summer. Sit a minute. You need some braids." Summer blushed ever so slightly, an unsure expression on her face. 

"I...that is..well...do you have to?" she asked. "Not that I...I mean, it just seems like a lot of fuss over a little thing." 

"Well, no, we don't have to." said Kili. "But it will look better if we do." Summer frowned.

"Look...better?" she asked in a confused tone. "I'm not sure that I see what being pretty has to do with anything..."

"He means less suspicious, lass." said Bofur, wiping out the stew pot. "No one will bat an eyelash at four Dwarves travelling together. But three Dwarves and a woman...tongues will wag."

"And it isn't that great of a fuss." added Fili, sitting down on her left. "Its not as though we're doing something complicated."

"Just a single braid on either side." said Kili, taking a seat on her right. Summer's expression had gone from unsure to nervous, and she kept looking back and forth between the two brothers. "You will have to be still, though." said Kili. 

"Oh! I...yes." said Summer. So, with the Durin brothers combing though her hair with their fingers, Summer twisted her fingers in her lap and did her best to not move. Unable to turn her head to look at either of them, she looked across the fire at Bofur. 

"Not so bad, is it?" he asked, trying to ease her still evident nervousness. Poor thing, he mused. He knew that it was commonplace among human women-sisters, mothers and daughters, best friends-for one to do the other's hair. He doubted Summer had ever seen that sort of thing. Summer's eyes, still uneasy, flicked right then left. 

"No, no it certainly isn't." she said, managing a half smile. "Its...I'm not used to being fussed over. The only time anyone's ever taken a hold of my hair is to give it a yank." Inwardly, Bofur winced. That explained a lot. 

"Well we certainly won't do that, will we Kili?" said Fili, looking over at his brother. Kili shook his head.  
"No indeed. We'll be as gentle as if you were our own little sister." the other Durin brother said, holding the end of his plait between his fingers. "Say...either of you have a spare hair clasp? I think any of mine would be too big." 

"I've got just the pair." said Bofur, snapping his fingers. Digging around in various pockets, he added "I never wear 'em because this unruly mess," he gestured to his own thick braids, "doesn't take to clips very well." 

"You could just leave it loose." said Summer. 

"I could, but it gets too much in the way." Bofur said with a head shake, searching his inside coat pockets now. A few more seconds, "Aha!" and he had his prize. "These should do nicely." he said, presenting Summer with a pair of gold clasps. Delicatly, she picked one up, bringing it close to her face to better see the runes worked into the metal. 

"They're beautiful." she said, undisguised admiration in her voice. "Are you sure you want me to wear them? I mean, I don't want to lose one or have one get broke or..." Bofur chuckled for a second and, taking the clasps, handed one to Fili and the other to Kili. 

"Summer, it would make me very happy to see them in hair as lovely as yours. Else they'd just sit in my pocket and gather lint." 

"Well then I shall wear them and smile." said Summer as Fili and Kili fastened them in her braids. And, true enough, she did smile. Not a halfway smile or a nervous smile, but a real one-all teeth and dimples and happiness. And it was like sunshine on Bofur's heart. 

"Lovely." he said, not entirely meaning the braids. Summer's cheeks colored faintly with a blush and she looked away shyly, fiddling with her newly plaited hair.


	9. On The Road Again!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is much walking...

"And the best part?" said Fili, shouldering his pack. "They'll stand up to an all day march."

"He doesn't mean all day, lass." Bofur said to Summer, shouldering his own gear. "We'll stop sometime for a midday meal." 

"Its all right if he wants to march all day." she said, following him out of the cave and down the hill with Kili bringing up the rear. "I'd bet I could walk his legs down to stumps." she added in a louder voice so Fili could hear her. The blonde dwarf cast a look back over his shoulder. 

"Is she teasing us, brother?" he called back to his sibling. Kili shook his head with a laugh.

"She's teasing you." he corrected. Bofur smiled in his beard. He had a feeling it was going to be a good morning. 

As it turned out, his feeling was quite right. Despite the lack of sunshine, occasional rain sprinkles and so much mud, Bofur didn't think he'd ever had a more enjoyable hike in his life. A great deal of that, he supposed, was due to Summer and the fact that she seemed to be getting over her shyness. She made more attempts at jokes (some better than others), spoke more, smiled more, laughed more. She seemed to have decided that she could actually make a go of this escape thing and that he and the two Durin brothers were going to help her, not do something terrible to her. It made his heart swell that her being happy like this was at least somewhat his doing. 

"So, this place you're taking me...its owned by.." Summer asked, biting into a plum as they sat under a spreading elm.

"His name is Bremen Butterburr. And he's a grand fellow." said Bofur. "Married to a very nice woman and they've got a lovely daughter."

"Oh aye, Elise." said Kili with a grin. "She's very lovely. You'll like her." 

"Not quite like you like her though, I'd wager." teased Fili. Kili playfully threw a plum pit at his brother. 

"You're just jealous." he replied. By way of an answer, Fili threw one of his own pits at Kili. This earned him a swat from the darker Durin brother, which soon escalated into a playful wrestling match on the damp grass. Amid his own chuckling, Bofur was pleased to notice that Summer was laughing as well. He was even more pleased when she shifted position, pressing against his side, to avoid the brothers' flailing limbs. Only yesterday she would have flinched at the contact. 

They set off again just as the sun was making its watery way through the low clouds. Summer was asking more questions now. What was Bree like? Bustling and busy most of the time. What about their destination for this evening? Was it an inn? No, it was to be camping again.   
"No inns or any suchlike until we get to Bree." said Fili over his shoulder. "Just grass and hills and trees." 

"I remember now. You said six days, and they would all be outdoors." said Summer. Looking around, she smiled at nothing in particular. "But...I don't mind. I've never been away before, and I've never seen anything other than the stableyard ." 

"I'll wager you'll like Weathertop then." said Bofur around his pipe. Summer tilted her head to look at him, curiousity plain in her green eyes. 

"What's Weathertop?" she asked. 

"Our next landmark." Bofur replied, gesturing ahead. "Its a great tall hill. You can see the countryside for miles and miles from the top." He took a puff on his pipe before adding, "Ruins up there to. Very old ones." 

"Will...can we climb up and see them?" Summer asked, excitement coloring her voice. 

"Perhaps." said Kili. "Its a tricky thing to try the climb in the dark, and we may not get there before nightfall."

"Maybe tomorrow." said Fili. "No point in making the climb if you can't see anything, is there?"

"I suppose not." agreed Summer, getting to her feet. "But we'll pass by it in the morning?" 

"Aye." said Bofur. "On the north side of the road. Great rocky thing, can't miss it." And that seemed to be enough for Summer. Bofur shared a quick smile with the Durin brothers; if they timed things right, they could take their midday meal early and Summer could gaze and explore to her heart's content. It might delay them a bit in the end, but it to his mind it would be well worth it if it would bring one of those sunny smiles to her face. 

The remainder of the day was filled with more questioning from Summer, interspersed with teasing from Fili and Kili. When one of them happened to let slip an oath to Durin about a sudden downpour of rain, she had asked who this Durin fellow was and what his beard had to do with anything. 

"If I'm supposed to be a Dwarf, I suppose I should learn to swear like one." she said. Later on, as Bofur was carefully wiping mud splatter and water from the head of his mattock (wouldn't do to have it get rusty!) she asked him about it. 

"I've seen many a sword and bow, but never one of these." she said. "What's it for, exactly?"

"Well, its a mining tool rather than a weapon." he explained. "The pick's for breaking and tearing apart rock wall, and the hammer head's for breaking big pieces into smaller ones so they can be carted off." Her curiousity was unquenchable; understandable since all she'd probably known her entire life was dishes and chores back at that miserable inn. Mining, history, language...she wanted to know about everything.


	10. Yikes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is trouble...

"We may have to start calling her little ferret." joked Fili during supper. Summer mock frowned at him over her bowl.

"Why would I be a ferret?" she asked. 

"Because they're forever curious little creatures, always looking into things." replied Kili. 

"Oh aye, I remember a little grey one Bombur had." chimed in Bofur. "Was always getting into cupboards and nosing about in pots. Stowed away in the hood of my cloak one morning and I was halfway to the mines before I found out." 

"Further proof that I'm not a ferret." Summer gave one of the potatos in her stew a poke and then gestured at Fili. "I certainly couldn't fit in the hood of anyone's cloak, nor will I ever be climbing about in cupboards." 

"Fili did that once. Well, more than once, actually." said Kili, grinning impishly. "Got locked in a couple of times to." 

"I was locked in one time." protested Fili, punching his brother in the arm. Bofur shook his head and cast a long suffering smile across the fire at Summer. She smiled back, sharing his amusement as the brothers fell into their nightly routine of poking fun and mock arguing. They were still mumbling and elbowing one another as they all stretched out and drifted into sleep in the flickering firelight.

Bofur didn't know what woke him. Noise, perhaps. Or some other sense. But he came awake quickly, unease prickling at the back of his mind. He'd fallen asleep sitting up, so all he had to do to look around was to cast his eyes over their campsite. To his left, the Durin brothers slept quietly, except for Fili's occasional mutters. Across the fire from him, Summer slept peacefully as well, the hood of her cloak drawn close against the cool night air. Bofur was about to dismiss his misgivings as an overactive imagination when something moved in the shadows behind Summer. He squinted, trying to make it out properly. 

"Oh no..."he whispered, feeling the first tiny flutters of fear in his chest. The moving shadow was a man. No, men. With a shout of alarm, he was up and across the dying embers of the campfire, mattock in hand. The man shouted as well, and raised a large, heavy looking club. Behind him, Bofur could hear Fili and Kili, awakened by his yell, dealing with the other interloper. Judging by the sound of steel on steel, the other man was armed with a sword. Nevermind the other fellow's weapon though, the man in front of him was bringing his club whistling towards his head. Bofur ducked and aimed a swing of his own at the man's knees. His blow didn't land, but it forced the man to step backwards out of range. Bofur followed him, aiming a second swing a little higher. The man shuffled further back, nearly tripping over...Summer. Groggy with sleep or frozen in fear, Bofur didn't know, but she was in very great danger. "Run!" he shouted, swinging again at the man. "Summer, RUN!" The man parried his swing with his club and then, quick as a striking snake, smacked him on the side of the head. It wasn't a particularly hard blow, but it was enough to make Bofur stumble. The next blow caught him full in the chest, smashing the air from his lungs and putting him on his back. He was faintly aware of Fili..perhaps it was Kili...shouting something as he rolled over and groped blindly for his mattock. He'd just spied it-how had it gotten over there?-when he heard a bellow of pain followed by a blood curdling shriek. Alarmed, he scrambled the few feet to his weapon and jumped to his feet. Spinning around, he was met with the sight of Summer...Summer laying into the bandit with a piece of firewood. Even as he watched, the man tried to evade her hammerblows, to no avail. She didn't stop swinging. When he threw up his hands to protect his head, she battered away at his arms. When he turned to run, she beat his shoulders. The other fellow, previously occupied with the Durin brothers, came charging over to help his comrade and was struck so hard he nearly spun around. He turned to flee as well, and...Durin's Beard and Braids...Summer gave chase.

"Summer!" Bofur shouted, running after her. "Summer, don't!" It was as though she couldn't hear him. She'd have gotten away from him, except she skidded on the slick grass, enabling him to catch her. He grabbed her arm, intent on stopping her; she swung blindly, the thick branch passing so close to his face he could hear it whistle. He caught her by both shoulders and gave her a shake. "SUMMER!" She shook her head, as though clearing it, and finally looked over at him. Fear, panic and a healthy dose of fury blazed in her eyes. 

"They're gone Summer." Bofur said softly. Summer made a small, insubstantial noise and Bofur could feel all the fight drain out of her as she sagged against him. Trying for reassurance, he wrapped his arms around her and laid her head on his shoulder. "Shhhh, there there. Its all right now." he murmured soothingly. Summer's violent trembling said she clearly thought otherwise.


	11. Midnight Stroll...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short one in which there is more walking...

"Brave lass." he said quietly, stroking her golden hair. "We'll have to start calling you lioness instead of mouse." Summer gave a strangled choke that might have been a laugh and Bofur rewarded her with a gentle squeeze. That was what he'd been hoping for; the steel she'd shown him days earlier hadn't been broken. 

"Bofur," Fili's voice intruded into his mind, demanding attention. "we dare not stay here. We're too exposed, and there may be more of them." Bofur nodded. Much as he would like to stay put and let Summer's (and truthfully, his own) jangled nerves unwind, it was too risky. 

"We need to be moving, Summer." He gave her a final pat on the head and released her. "Are you up for another late night stroll?" If she faltered, if they were asking too much too soon, he would stay with her. The Durin brothers could go on ahead, he would stay behind and stand guard over her until daylight. But he needn't have worried; Summer did not disappoint.

"Yes." she said, swiping at her eyes with her grimy hands. "Yes, let's be off." 

They broke camp quickly, barely sparing the time to kick the still glowing embers of the campfire into the mud, and moved out at a quick trot. Kili on point in front, then Bofur and Summer with Fili guarding the rear. Bofur was thankful there was a half moon tonight; as Dwarves he and the brothers could see better than most in darkness but Summer would have had a great deal of trouble moving quickly had it been pitch dark. As it was though, with moonlight to guide their feet, they made it to Weathertop without incident.

"Up to the summit." instructed Kili, leading "Only one footpath up, so we're safe so long as someone's on guard." Actually, footpath was a bit of a lie. Mountain goat trail would have been more fitting. But Summer, even though she was puffing like a winded carthorse, made the climb right along with them. "Over there." he gestured to a collection of tumbled stone blocks. "Keep the fire small enough and nobody will be able to see it. And the rock will throw some heat back." Fili was all ready hacking away at a gnarled old tree with one of his short axes and, after giving Summer a gentle nudge towards the rocks, Bofur went to help.

"She'll be all right." the blonde brother said to him, handing him a twisted branch. 

"Think so?" said Bofur, bending down to pick up a few more. Fili nodded and started chopping at the tree again.

"Yes." he said. "She didn't crack back there, and she won't now." He shot a sidelong look at Bofur and smiled at him. "Your lioness is made of stern stuff." Bofur didn't miss the use of "your", but he only smiled and nodded.

"Aye," he agreed. "that she is." He picked up a couple more branches to top off his armload and headed back to the rocks. 

"Are you doing all right lass?" he asked, kneeling next to Summer and dumping his armload of wood. She looked up from fiddling with the braid clasp and gave him a small smile. 

"I feel...mildly sick." she said. "I...don't...I never want have to do that again." she twisted her braid nervously. Had his hands not been busy lighting tinder, Bofur would have given her a hug. Instead, he offered her a gentle smile. 

"I don't want you to have to do that again either." he said, adding small twigs to the blaze. "However, I am glad you did, just this once. You may well have saved my life, and for that I thank you." Summer gave her braid another twist, doubling it into a loop.

"I would do it again, then. If it meant saving your life." she said after a moment. "Or theirs." she added, nodding at Fili and Kili at the edge of the hilltop.


	12. Cuddles!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone tries to get a good night's rest...

"I'm greatful for that to then." said Bofur, giving the now blazing fire a quick stir. "However, like we've both said, I hope you don't have to. Or, if you do, mayhap it could be a little earlier in the day next time. Late night travelling wears me out." Summer smiled and ducked her head before getting to her feet and walking a few steps away. Bofur busied himself with adding larger branches to the fire as she hauled her borrowed cloak over her shoulders and turned it this way and that.

"Fili?" she called. "What's the best way to go about getting this dry?"

"Just lay it flat on that big slab there." said the older brother, walking into the firelight "There's no wind tonight so it won't blow away." Summer obeyed, laying the heavy knit article over the carved rock and then, bereft of her former sitting place, came and sat next to Bofur. Fili came over and sat down on his other side. "Kili's going to take first watch tonight." he said, leaning against the rock. 

"Watch?" questioned Summer through a yawn. She leaned back against the rock as well and shifted around, trying to get comfortable.

"Aye, just in case." said Fili. "But we're in a good spot here. Be able to see anything coming because we're so high up and he can cover that footpath with his bow."

"That's good." Summer mumbled, finally giving up on being comfortable. She leaned her head into the wall behind her and crossed her arms over her chest. Moments later, after he'd added more wood to the fire, Bofur noticed that she was sound asleep.

"Oh lass, no." he said quietly. Her head had lolled over onto her shoulder and he knew from experience what an awful krick would be in her neck come morning. Moving quietly, he sat back down next to her and ever so gently tilted her head back up so he could slide close and lean her onto his own shoulder. 

"I saw that." Fili teased softly, coming back from conversing with his brother and sitting down on his other side.

"Can't have her walking around tomorrow with a locked up neck." replied Bofur. "Be a worse fate than those bandits." Fili rolled his eyes and dropped his head onto Bofur's other shoulder. Bofur just chuckled; it was only fair.

Bofur awoke the next moring to warm breath puffing rhythmically against his neck. That was odd. He didn't remember Summer being quite so...snuggly...the night before. Carefully, so not to wake her, he turned his head just a bit to see. Yes indeed, it was Summer. Apparently during the night she'd gotten cold and unconciously cuddled into him for warmth. She'd wrapped her both her arms around one of his own and was clinging to it like a small child would a favorite blanket. She was leaning harder on him to; the entire length of her body was pressed against his side, nose to toes. Not that he minded greatly; she wasn't heavy and her breath tickled only a little. However, it would make getting up and cooking breakfast difficult. Upon looking across the fire, though, he realized he needen't have worried. Fili and Kili were all ready awake, grins of identical glee firmly in place. 

"Mornin' lads." he said in a soft voice, still unwilling to wake Summer. She'd been through a lot, and there was still more to come. She needed all the rest she could get. 

"Good morning!" said the brothers in quiet unison. Summer chose that particular instant to let out a rather loud snort and nuzzle Bofur's hat. Fili squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to control himself and Kili was actually gnawing on his lower lip so as not to laugh out loud. Bofur felt a smile wriggle across his face; such a loud noise from so small a lass. Moments later, after another half snort, he felt as well as heard Summer take a long, deep breath and stir to life. 

"Good morning." he said as she sat up and focused those sleep fogged green eyes on his face. She blinked, rubbed her forehead a bit, and looked around. Realization flickered across her features and a hand flew to her mouth. 

"Oh my...did...I fell asleep on you didn't I? I'm so sorry!" Even before she had finished the sentance Bofur was shaking his head.

"Lass, don't apologize. There's nothing to be sorry for." he reassured her. Summer still looked apprehensive. 

"But..its...isn't it...."she waved her hands around, searching for a word, "...improper?" Bofur shook his head again.

"Nothing untoward happened." he said. "You've nothing to fear from me. Or them." he nodded in the Durin brothers' direction. Summer turned her gaze on them and they both offered her brilliant smiles.  
"The worst you'll get from me is an elbow in the ribs to stop your snoring." teased Kili gently. Summer blinked and looked back to Bofur.

"I...do I snore?" she asked, baffled. Bofur chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Aye, y'do." he said. "Right in my ear even." he said with a smile. "Good thing I sleep like a log."


	13. Onward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they keep moving.

"He truly does." chimed in Fili. "Nigh impossible to wake him up at times." 

"Splash of water usually does the trick though." added Kili, passing a bowl of stew over. Summer declined to answer in favor of breakfast. Feeling a bit hungry himself, Bofur went after his own stew, trading the occasional jibe with one brother or the other between mouthfuls. 

"If you like, lass, you can do a bit of exploring while we pack up." Bofur gestured to the surrounding ruins after they'd finished their meal. 

"All right." Summer said, getting to her feet with a smile. She trotted across the hilltop to a heavily carved section of stone wall, intent on having a closer look. 

"She seems to be well recovered." said Fili looking over at Bofur with a smile. Bofur nodded as he rolled his blankets up and tied the bundle to his pack. 

"Aye, she does." he said. "But all the same, I shudder to think what could have happened." 

"Didn't though." said Kili, picking up his bow and slinging it over his shoulder. "And that's the important thing. "  
"That, and making sure it doesn't happen again." amended Fili. Bofur supposed they were right. They had all escaped with little more than cuts and bruises. All things considered, things could have ended much, much worse. And really, they owed that to Summer. Memories from the night before flickered through his mind. That horrible shriek she'd loosed at the first attacker, her panic fueled blows, the way she had trembled as he held her close. She'd been so frightened, and it gnawed at him. She'd endured so much beforehand, and it seemed that fate thought she needed to endure more. He wished feverently that he could protect her from every hurt and scare that life saw fit to throw in her path. He knew he couldn't; that much had all ready been proven. But it didn't stop him from wishing.

"Summer!" he called, picking up his pack and following the Durin brothers through the dilapidated ruins. 

"Coming!" she called from the far side of a carved doorway. She hopped down to the flagstone floor and trotted over. 

"Did you find anything interesting?" he asked her as they made their way down the footpath. She nodded vigorously. 

"Oh its all interesting!" she said excitedly. "I don't know what any of the carvings mean, but they're all very beautiful. It must have been quite something before it was ruined." She sidestepped around a large outcrop, arms out for balance. 

"I don't doubt it." Bofur agreed, following her around the rock. "And...are you...from last night...are you all right?" He hated to taint her joy by bringing it up, but at the same time he knew that carrying that kind of burden wore one down. The best he could offer Summer was to help carry that burden. 

"I..." Summer wrung her hands, looked at the ground. For a few seconds, the fierce lioness was replaced by the timid little mouse again. But she took a breath and squared her shoulders. "I think I can be. I will try to be." she said, looking at him hopefully. 

"Good lass." Bofur offered her a brilliant mile and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "We can ask no more than that." 

The rest of the day past much like the previous one. Walking, questioning from Summer, sprinkled with bits of teasing from the Durin brothers. Talk drifted from clothing to weapons to local wildlife to recipies. Summer seemed to want to know everything about everything. As they bedded down for the evening Bofur volunteered to take first watch, seeing as how he had missed his turn the previous evening. Summer blinked at his words; he wasn't sure what exactly to make of that. 

"Its all right Summer." said Fili, seeing her expression. "You may sleep on my shoulder tonight. I don't bite." 

"That's well and good." she replied, getting to her feet and crossing over to sit next to him. "However, you seem to be forgetting that I snore." At this reminder, Fili shook his head and threw up his hands in mock despair. "However, for your sake, I shall see what I can do about being quiet." Bofur chuckled to himself as Fili was soon sandwiched between Kili-which was nothing new-and Summer. Fili, for his part, did nothing out of the ordinary; he simply fell asleep with his head resting on his brother's. 

After a few hours Bofur got up, stretched, and ambled over to give Kili a nudge so he could take his turn at watch. He'd just sat down on Summer's far side and shut his eyes when he felt a weight press against his side and onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Summer's blonde head resting against his arm. 

"I'm sorry lass. Didn't mean to wake you." he murmured quietly. Fili looked over at the two of them and a corner of his mouth came up in a half smirk. 

"Guess I'm not a very good pillow." he teased gently, giving Bofur a meaningful look. 

"Your fur tickles my nose." Summer mumbled sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes. Fili did his best to look affronted, while across the low burning fire, Kili held his sides and rocked back and forth, shaking with silent laughter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone travels some more. And there are cuddles!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I kinds skipped out on updating this! Sorry everyone! I promise to try and keep it weekly from now on.  
> Also, I've included a few sentances from the previous chapter, in order to make the picking up less awkward.

"I'm sorry lass. Didn't mean to wake you." he murmured quietly. Fili looked over at the two of them and a corner of his mouth came up in a half smirk. 

"Guess I'm not a very good pillow." he teased gently, giving Bofur a meaningful look. 

"Your fur tickles my nose." Summer mumbled sleepily, not even bothering to open her eyes. Fili did his best to look affronted, while across the low burning fire, Kili held his sides and rocked back and forth, shaking with silent laughter. Bofur shrugged with his eyebrows, since doing so with his shoulders would wake Summer. Fili rolled his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest, and Bofur thought he heard him mutter something about "fur is warm" but he couldn't be sure. As Summer wrapped her arm around one of his as she'd done the night before, Bofur let himself smile. He could do worse, he thought as he shut his own eyes, than being a pillow.

Morning found Kili on Bofur's other side, head on his shoulder, much in the same way Summer was. Summer was the first of them to wake; apparently she remembered his reassurances from before, since she didn't wring her hands or dither about. She did, however, offer him that same sleepy smile and bid him good morning. Her smile broadened a bit and her eyes took on a mischevious twinkle when she spied Kili still asleep on his shoulder. 

"Should I fetch some water?" she asked conspiratorially. Bofur chuckled and would have replied that yes, a good hair washing for the younger Durin would be a fine idea, but Kili chose that moment to come groggily awake, prompting Summer to frown slightly. "Well that's just spoiled my fun." she groused. Kili looked baffled, but Summer would say nothing about it no matter how much he badgered her. He kept bringing it up throughout the rest of the day, hoping to catch her off guard, but to no avail. Bofur smiled at how well she seemed to be managing, but he couldn't help but feel the tiniest twinge of worry for her. She had said she would do her best to be all right, and he dearly hoped she would be. He could not fight whatever inner demons she might (or might not) have, but he could be there to reassure her and be her friend. An encouraging hand on her shoulder as she climbed yet another steep hill; a quick catch to steady her when she skidded in the mud. The smiles she gave him in return made his heart swell so much he wondered if it might burst. 

That evening they bedded down amidst a small copse of trees. Supper had been stew once again, but no one complained. Fili took first watch and Kili sat near the fire waxing his bowstring. Without preamble, Summer scooted over next to Bofur, wrapped her arms around his left one, and settled her head on his shoulder. It was a small, seemingly insignificant thing, but all the same Bofur felt a small spark of joy flicker in his chest. She hadn't asked permission, or made excuses or looked about awkwardly. She was growing so comfortable around them that she simply did. 

" 'Night lass." he whispered quietly. Summer mumbled something that might have been a good night and tightened her arms.


	15. To the Prancing Pony!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Summer and friends arrive in Bree...

The remainder of their journey to Bree passed in much the same fashion. The days were filled with teasing and jokes and tales from the Durin brothers as well as innumberable questions, thanks to Summer's insatiable curiousity. They took turns keeping watch at night; whenever Bofur's turn was over Summer always curled next to him, wrapping her arms around one of his and laying her head on his shoulder. The spark that was in Bofur's chest had grown into a merry crackling fire, warming him from the inside out. That fire flared a little bit every time she took his hand as he helped her to her feet, every time she smiled at him, every time her eyes lit up with some new bit of knowledge he'd given her. She was making quite a turnaround from the timid little lass he'd rescued from the Bucket, and if nothing else ever came of this her happiness in a new place would be enough for him. 

Still, he thought as they wound their way through Bree, he would miss her. Fili and Kili were fine company, but he'd grown to care greatly for his brave lass over the course of their travels. They would be coming back through with the rest of the Company, but only briefly. Perhaps, he thought, when the Mountain had been retaken and the gold had been shared out, he would come back. Perhaps when he did...

"Here we are!" Kili's voice interrupted his thoughts. "The Prancing Pony!" The younger Durin lead them though the door and into the common room, throwing his arms wide. "Home of the finest ale, the best food and the loveliest barmaid in all Middle Earth."

"Here now, who're you calling a lovely barmaid?" the innkeeper looked up from the hearth where he'd been tending the fire. 

"You, probably." a female voice called from beneath the bar. The owner of said voice straightened up from where she had been fetching tankards. "You did wear mother's apron once, and wore it rather well, I might add." The innkeeper rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Lost a bet I did." he said, looking in their direction. "And I owned up to it. Never let it be said that I renege on a bet." 

"Indeed not." replied Kili, striding over to the barmaid and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. He turned then to the innkeeper with a big smile. "You, Bremen Butterburr, are a fine, honest man. At least, that's what we've been telling our new friend." Butterburr shared a look with the barmaid as Kili led her from behind the bar. 

"You've made a new friend?" she remarked, arching an eyebrow. "Did you kidnap her?"

"Well Elise, yes actually." Fili chimed in. Butterburr and Elise both turned to look at him in astonishment, and he quickly amended, "But in a good way! I promise." Bofur chuckled; the easygoing manner of the Butterburr family was one of the main reasons this was his favorite stopover place. He turned to Summer to introduce her, but found that she'd stepped directly behind him, hiding from everyone. 

"Its all right." he said, turning to face her. "They take a bit of getting used to, but they don't bite." Summer over from where she'd been studying her toes. Giving her an encouraging smile, he put an arm around her and took her over to the others. "Bremen, Elise, this is Summer." he said. "We rescued her a week ago."

Hello Summer." said Elise, stepping foreward and taking Summer's hand. "Come and sit down. You look like you might be hungry." 

"If she isn't, I certainly am." Kili said cheerfully. "Not to mention thirsty." Elise shot him a withering look, and Kili grinned insolently.

"Plenty enough to go around." interjected Bremen, turning around and heading towards the bar. Bofur followed Summer, who was being led by Elise, to a table. He pulled a chair out for Summer, then for Elise, before taking a spot on Summer's other side. Fili and Kili sat across from them and Bremen, returning with ale, bread and cheese, sat down next to Kili. 

"So," said Elise, passing the mugs around. "Tell us everything."


	16. A Tale Over Ale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Summer's situation is explained. And more friends are made.

"Well," Bofur began, taking a swallow of ale. "It was near a week ago that I stopped for the night at an awful place named The Bucket of Blood." Elise made a face at the name, and he nodded at her. "Yes, its every bit as horrible as the name implies. And who should I find flying around the common room like a honeybee but Summer."

The telling of the tale took a while. Bremen's jaw tightened when Bofur spoke of how the Bucket's innkeeper sold Summer for men's entertainment, and Elise's arms wrapped around her in a hug. Bofur hurried the tale along, not wanting to linger on the unpleaseantness. The Durin brothers picked up the narrative thread, and the story soon grew lively with their gestures and exclaimations.Summer actually smiled when they told of her chasing off the bandits-probably due to Kili's flailing about so enthusiastically that he nearly upset his ale. 

"Brave as a lioness, our Summer!" he proclaimed. Summer blushed, and focused on her ale. 

"I don't know about brave." she said quietly. "I was very frightened the entire time."

"And yet you acted anyway." said Bofur. "Bravery in its truest form." Summer's smile came back at the praise, and he smiled in return.

"And we thought that since she is so brave," Fili said, turning to look at Bremen.

"and clever," added Kili, flashing one of his brilliant smiles.

"and pretty." Bofur winked at Summer, making her blush again. 

"Well, we thought that she might fit well here with your operation." Fili finished. "You are always saying how you could use an extra person." 

"Aye." said Bremen. "Its a bit slow right now, but the weather's to blame for that. When it straightens up and people start travelling again, there won't be an empty seat in this room." He turned his gaze to Kili, then to Fili. "But what does the lass say? I won't keep her here against her will, not after what's been done to her." 

"If you'll have me, I'll stay." Summer said quickly, as though frightened the opportunity might slip away. "I can wait tables, I do dishes, I can cook, I've fixed tables and chairs once or twice, I can split firewood if you give me an axe and I..." she trailed off as Bremen held up a hand with a chuckle. 

"Its all right Summer." he said with a warm smile. "You needn't worry about most of that. We've a good carpenter down the street should our furniture get broken, and the only way one of my girls splits my firewood is if I'm abed with both my legs broken." His expression turned thoughtful. "However, there are...other considerations." 

"Not like that." Elise said reassuringly when Summer blanched at Bremen's words. "We are...we do more than just serve beer and rent rooms. We gather information." She leaned foreward and continued in a conspiratorial whisper, despite the empty room. "Fili and Kili and Bofur are only a few members of a Dwarven company. They are undertaking a quest to retake their home far to the East. It is an undertaking that has been long a-building." 

"Inns are gathering places." said Bremen, taking a pull from his ale. "Especially one like the Pony, at the joining place of two well travelled roads. Elise, myself, and my wife hear a lot of news from a lot of people. Most of it is just idle gossip, worthless chatter. But some, to the right ears..." he nodded indicated the Durin brothers and Bofur, "...some of it means a great deal." 

"If it means helping, yes I will do it." said Summer with no hesitation. Bofur smiled at her. 

"Good lass." he praised, giving her arm a squeeze. 

They passed another good while trading news and gossip, but eventually they got around to the part that Bofur had been secretly dreading-leaving. He knew Summer would be well looked after, and he knew he would see her again soon...but he'd be lying if he said his heart didn't wrench at the thought of her not falling asleep next to him in the evenings. He consoled himself with the idea that he would seen her again quite soon as they passed back through Bree on the way to the Lonely Mountain. 

"Don't worry Summer." he said as Kil and Elise shared a goodbye embrace. "Our Company will be passing back through; I'll see you again soon." Summer nodded, and Bofur could tell she was doing her best to look brave. But worry tangled with some other unreadable emotion reflected in her eyes and he felt a pang of guilt that he had put them there. "The road is quite safe from here; there's nought to worry about." 

"I know, its...I just..."she huffed a frusterated sigh at herself. "Promise to be careful?" 

"I promise." Bofur said. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, trying to convey with action what he could not find words to say. He felt her soft skin brush against his, the warm puff of her breath in his ear, the gentle press of her lips as she placed a chaste kiss to his cheek. 

"Be safe." she whispered, stepping back. Surprise had robbed him of words, but he manged a nod and a smile before turning and trotting to catch up with Fili and Kili. 

"I saw that." Fili said with a wry smile as Bofur fell into step beside him.


	17. Summer's First Night At The Pony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Summer can't sleep...

Summer sat at the foot of the bed... _her_ bed, her _own_ bed in her own _room_ , and stared at her hands. They were cleaner than they had been in quite a long time. Even under the fingernails. She'd taken a _bath_. Elise and Bremen had insisted. She'd wanted to begin working that evening: wash some dishes or help tidy up or something but they were having none of it. Summer looked around; it was so strange to be indoors again after travelling on the road and so quiet with no Dwarves to keep her company. She smiled; Fili and Kili bickered at one another even after they'd bedded down for the night and Bofur...Bofur often sang quietly or played his flute as the fire burned down to coals. She missed him all ready, moreso than the other two (though she felt mildly guilty for playing favorites.) He was so very cheerful, and his brown eyes were so kind whenever he spoke to her. His smile...oh his smile made her heart sing. She almost wished she were still on the road with him and the two brothers. She felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes and she wiped them away impatiently. No, moping about would not do. The three of them certainly wouldn't like seeing her unhappy. And truthfully, she wasn't. She was just...lonely. Summer turned her head and looked at her door thoughtfully. Elise had said she could come and talk with her any time she wished. Summer was very curious about many things; she particularly wanted to know more about this "information gathering"...and honestly she was wondering about the affection between Elise and Kili as well. Not that she had any designs on the younger Dwarf, but it would be nice to have another person to talk to who might be missing someone. Yes, Summer decided, getting to her feet. She wanted company. Quickly, before her courage could desert her ('Not much of a lioness anymore' she thought ruefully) she left her room and padded in bare feet down the hall to Elise's. She rapped softly and waited with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. Within a few heartbeats, she heard the thunk of a bolt being pulled and the door opened.

"Summer!" Elise sounded happy to see her. "Hello! Come in." Summer entered; it was a cozy room, well lived in with many things cast haphazardly about-some clothes sat in a hamper waiting to be laundered, several books were stacked on an end table, rolls of paper stuck out of a large crock like ears. Over in a corner, a few cloaks hung on a well made coat tree, nearly obscuring a walking stick and..

"Is that...a bow?" Summer couldn't help herself. She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, looking guilty. "I'm sorry." she said. "I shouldn't pry."

"No, no." Elise said with a comforting smile. "You're not prying. Its fine. Ask about anything." she sat down on the bed and tucked her legs up underneath her. "Yes, its a bow. Unstrung, mind you. If you're not going to be shooting it, its best to have it that way. That way the wood doesn't warp." She tilted her head and her smile widened just a bit. "You can sit down. I don't bite."

"Oh!" Summer squeaked. "Yes, of course." Not wanting to be rude, she perched herself on the other end of the bed and crossed her feet under her legs, mirroring Elise's relaxed posture.

"Kili is taught me." Elise indicated the bow with a nod of her head. "I travel by myself sometimes, and he wanted me to be able to defend myself without having to be in close quarters." Summer nodded; that certainly seemed like something he would do, especially for someone he cared about.

"You and him...are...you two..." Summer really didn't know the right word for it. They didn't seem to be married, and she wasn't sure if they were courting. Luckily, Elise understood her meaning.

"Yes." she said with a quiet chuckle and a smile. "I am his and he is mine. We have been so for a while."

"Can...is that...allowed?" Summer asked. She supposed it was a silly question; allowed or not, it was happening.

"Well," said Elise with another chuckle, "Thorin doesn't seem to mind me too badly. And Balin and Gloin have come to accept it, even if they still grumble a bit. Their views are a bit more...traditional." Summer frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar names and Elise noteced. "Oh, I've forgotten, you don't know them all." she said sheepishly.

"I don't, no." Summer affirmed. She leaned foreward eagerly. "I was hoping you'd tell me though." Elise smiled at her.

"Well, what would you like to know?" she asked.

"Tell me everything." Summer said. Elise laughed, loud and bright in the small room.

"We'd better fetch something to eat then." she said, getting up. "That will take a while.


	18. Back to Bree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bofur and the Company return to Bree...

Bofur ambled along High Street in Bree, following Dwalin and Balin as they wove their way through the throngs of people. Upon arrival, their Company had split up; some would see to their animals, some were after supplies and some would see to their lodging. And as much as Bofur wanted to go to the Pony and see Summer, there were a few odds and ends he needed to get that he knew he wouldn't have time for in the morning. So he'd elected to follow the warrior and the scholar on their errands. The pair had just stopped at a harness shop ; Dwalin was inspecting some leather straps and buckles. Spare pieces for his axe harness, no doubt. Bofur busied himself looking at the bundles of leather lacing. He used it for nearly everything and it was always good to have plenty of it around. Quite suddenly, from nowhere, he heard a familiar laugh. Or at least, he thought he did. He dropped his bundle of leather and looked around, frowning. 

"It is, I don't believe it!" said that voice. Bofur squinted in the direction it had come from, but there were just too many people. He sighed; he'd been missing Summer so much that now every female voice he was hearing was beginning to sound like hers. Picking up the bundle he'd dropped, he walked over to Dwalin. He'd just started tossing the leather back and forth from hand to hand, waiting for the tattooed warrior to finish his picking, when he heard a second familiar voice, full of mischief and merriment. 

"That fellow next to him? That's Dwalin." Bofur jerked his head up. He would know that mildly insolent tone anywhere. One familiar voice was concidence, but two? Then he heard that first voice, Summer's voice, again.

" _That_ is _Dwalin_?" Summer's voice had an impressed tone to it, and it carried over the street noise. At the sound of his name, Dwalin's head came up and he slowly turned, scanning the crowd.

"I told you he was enormous, didn't I?" Elise's voice was gleeful. Dwalin's eyes narrowed: he'd never met Summer, but Elise he knew. And now he knew that it was her he was looking for. 

"You said he was large for a dwarf. You did _not_ say he was half bear." Summer's voice had taken on a teasing note. Bofur smiled as he scanned the crowd; he remembered that tone well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dwalin lean foreward a bit as though looking at something very small. Half a second later, he straightened back and looked over at Baliln. 

"Durin help us." he said in mock disgust. "There's two of them now."

"Of course there's two; I've been telling you since Hobbiton." said Bofur, still looking through the crowd. Seconds later, he found what he sought; strolling through the mass of market-goers and ware-sellers came Elise and Summer, arm in arm. Bofur felt a smile break across his face and the warm spark in his chest crackled to life. Summer's glance caught his and she smiled back as she and Elise walked up to him and his companions. 

"Two of us, yes. Perhaps now we'll be able to keep your tankard full, you great beer guzzling goat." Elise said to Dwalin by way of greeting. 

"That I doubt." said Balin with a grin. Elise grinned back and shook her head.  
"You two never change." she laughed, and they all laughed with her. Summer's laugh, Bofur noticed, was louder and brighter than he remembered. She was getting on well then; losing that long held trepidation she'd still had on the road. 

"Indeed not." said Dwalin. "As short and white as when we last passed through." Since he was neither short nor white haired, it was obvious that he was speaking about Balin, who only rolled his eyes at his younger brother's tomfoolery. "So," continued the warrior dwarf, "who is your new friend?"

"My name is Summer." Summer said, taking a half step foreward and sketching a small bow. "At your service. Or, I soon will be. Once we get back to the Pony." Bofur let another small smile curl his mouth; she was introducing herself now, not waiting for someone else. 

"We've heard a lot about you, lassie." said Balin, returning her bow. "Balin, at your service." 

"Dwalin," rumbled the taller Dwarf, also dropping a short bow. "At your service." 

"Bofur!" Bofur declared, a silly grin on his face. Might as well make it a trio. "At..." he was interrupted as Summer closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his neck. The mild surprise he felt evaporated as the small flickering in his chest roared into full flame. He put his arms around her and hugged her in return. "Hello Summer." he said softly.


	19. At the Pony!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bofur, Summer and Co return to the Prancing Pony.

"You look well." Bofur said, turning a bit so he could see Summer properly. He and Balin and Dwalin, plus Summer and Elise, were heading back to the Prancing Pony. His two companions and Elise were a few steps ahead; Elise was merrily regaling the pair with occurances and going-ons since their last visit. Much to his delight, Summer had fallen into step beside him.

"I am well. Very well, actually." Summer said, beaming. She looked so happy, Bofur thought. Nary a trace of the ragged, timid, harried little thing he'd rescued so many days ago. She stood straighter, spoke more and smiled a great deal. The warm fire in Bofur's chest crackled a bit. Oh her smile. It was everywhere, all the time. Like she was just happy to breathing. 

"I trust Elise has been training you in the fine art of being a cheeky barmaid?" he continued, throwing a wink at Elise when she looked over her shoulder at him. 

"I'm trying, but I still have a ways to go before I can balance an ale cask on my head." Summer said in mock frusteration. "But otherwise yes, Elsie has been sharing a _lot_ with me." Her emphasis on that word had him raising an eyebrow. She nodded. "Yes, she's told me everything." Her voice dropped lower, so soft it barely reached his ears. "About the Company. The Mountain, the Dragon, the Quest." She tilted her head to look at him; he read a mixture of admiration, fear and...he couldn't quite place what else was in her green eyes. "I had rather figured you as the heroic type, but something of that magnitude..."she shook her head. "Heroism on a grand scale."

"Well," Bofur was glad for his thick beard to hide his blush at such lavish praise, "I wouldn't call me a hero just yet. I haven't even got there."

"But," interjected Summer with a smile, "you have rescued a damsel in distress. So that makes you a hero. To me anyway." Bofur really wasn't sure how to reply; he'd never been called a hero before. So he did he always did when words wouldn't come; he gave her one of his most beatific smiles. It must have been the right thing to do, because she gave him a sunny smile of her own and crooked her elbow through his. Arm in arm, they followed their companions back to the Pony. 

++++++++++++++++++++

When they arrived, he and Summer had to seperate. She had her barmaid's duties to tend to and he had his gear, tools and other preparations to make. Not to mention a Hobbit to look after. Once he had that taken care of though, he headed back down to the common room, Bilbo in tow. 

"Summer is..." Bilbo frowned, trying to remember. "....the blonde?"

"Aye." said Bofur, taking a seat at one of the many tables. "Hair like spun gold." Bilbo looked around the room and spied her, stacking dirty dishes at a recently vacated table. One corner of his mouth came up in a half smile.

"She's quite lovely." he said. "Bright and cheerful like summer." Bofur nodded.

"You wouldn't recognize her from a week ago. Timid as a little mouse she was." he said. "Hardly summer like at all."

"Indeed." said Bilbo. "I would...good gracious, what is she doing now?" Bofur turned to look. 

Summer had finished stacking the tableware: plates, bowls and utensils. But the tankards refused to balance on top of the pile. So she had waved one of them at Elise and was now tossing it from hand to hand as she waited for the other to put down her dishrag and step from behind the bar. Elise made an "over here" gesture and Summer obliged, pitching the tankard clear across the room. 

"Looks like she's tidying up the tables." Bofur said with a shrug. Another mug went flipping across the room; few, if any, of the other patrons took any notice. Bilbo appeared rather horrified at the whole idea though. 

"By _throwing_ things?" he asked incredulously. "That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Bofur knew he must be thinking of the little dishes tossing song-and-dance they'd done days earlier in his home.

"Not really." said Bofur as he watched Summer fling a third mug. She'd put a little muscle behind it; the _thwack_ as the metal met Elise's palm was audible. "It saves her the trouble of having to go back and fetch them." Bilbo shook his head, still unbelieving. 

"But its only one short trip!" he said as Summer heaved the last tankard to Elise. She caught it easily and took them all over to the sink for washing. "Surely it can't be such a hassle for one short trip."

"If it was only one short trip, no, it would be no hassle." explained Bofur. "But they're at this for hours and hours every day. It would end up being dozens and dozens of trips. Maybe hundreds of extra steps."

"Oh." said Bilbo, looking mildly abashed. "But...what if they miss?"

"Then we tease them about it forever." said Bofur. Smiling, he raised his voice a bit. "Don't we Elise?"

"Don't you what?" she asked, looking up from drying the freshly rinsed tankards. 

"Tease you forever when you drop a bowl." Bofur grinned at her. Elise whipped her towl over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips.

"That was over a year ago and my hands were all wet!" she said indignantly.

"Probably a good thing there aren't knives involved." said Gloin with a grin. Elise snorted and picked up half a dozen brimful mugs of ale; three in each hand, not spilling a drop. 

"I'll have you know," Elise said as she moved around the tables, full tankards in hand, "that I can throw knives as well as any of you." 

"Ooo." said Nori, looking up in interest. "Is that a challenge?" Elise offered him a smile that was equal parts affection and teeth. 

"Later, perhaps." she said, setting a tankard down in front of him and heading back for another round. "When there are fewer people around to see you embarassed."


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions happen and plans are made.

As it turned out, Elise was every bit as good as Nori, and proved it later that evening when most of the Big Folk had moved on down the road or gone off to bed. Nori had sighed in defeat as one of her twin daggers (doubtless a present from Kili) had spun through the air and planted itself a finger's span closer to the center of the board than his own. But he was nothing if not a good sport; he was smiling lopsidedly as he tossed a small sackful of coins in Bofur's direction. 

"If your lass be takin' lessons from her, you'd better watch yourself." he had joked with a wink. Bofur had smiled back and nodded his thanks. He'd bet on Elise not just because of her skill; he knew it would make Summer happy to see a show of support for her new mentor.

"She's very good, isn't she?" Summer said as she came up behind him The Company was adjourning to a smaller, cozier room in the back, away from any reamaining ears in the common room that might still be listening. Bofur slowed a half step so he was beside her and smiled. 

"Aye." he replied. "Its not often that Nori is bested with knives." He sat down on the bench on the far side of the table, next to Bifur, across from Thorin and Dwalin. "Come sit next to me." he invited, sliding down a bit. "You've been running about all evening; your feet must be tired." Summer blinked, then looked over to Elise who flapped a hand in a "go on" motion, making it plain that she would see to any ale fetching or fire tending. Relieved of her duties, Summer nodded her thanks and folded her legs to gracefully sit next to Bofur.

"What's happened here?" she asked, plucking at one of his fingerless gloves. Bofur looked down and shrugged.

"Got caught on something, I suppose." he replied, looking down at the small tear in the knitwear. Summer pretended to frown at him.

"Let's have it off then." she ordered. "I don't have any knitting skills, but I imagine I can talk Elise into fixing it for you." She inspected the garmet for a moment before laying it in her lap with a cluck of her tongue. "Apparently I must not only save you from bandits but I must have your clothing mended as well." she teased. 

"So it is true." Thorin's deep voice startled both of them. Summer turned to look across the table at the prince and Bofur wondered if the little mouse might make an appearance yet again. Thorin was certainly not trying to frighten her; he wasn't glaring or scowling or anything. But even his benign expressions could be intimidating to those who didn't know him. But Summer recovered quickly.

"The bit about the bandits?" she asked. Thorin nodded. "All I really did was lay into a couple of dirty louts with a chunk of firewood." Summer said, knitting her fingers together on the table. It wasn't exactly hand wringing, but Bofur could tell the sudden attention had thrown her a bit. "I don't know exactly what you were told, but I didn't do anything particularly heroic." 

"As a matter of fact," Thorin said, "that is exactly what I was told." He gave Summer a...it was not quite a smile, but the corners of his mouth turned up the slightest bit. "I owe you a debt for saving their lives." 

"That's very kind," Summer said, shaking her head, "but no debt is owed. They were in the process of saving my life, so that makes things even." Thorin seemed satisfied with this; he nodded in acquiescence and turned to converse with Dwalin. Summer turned to look at Bofur, eyes a bit wide with nerves; he reached over and patted her hand and her features relaxed into a smile. 

"I trust everyone was able to buy any odds and ends that might be needed for the journey." Balin said, accepting a tankard of ale from Elise. There were mostly murmurs of assent from the group, with one exception. 

"I'd have liked to have had some more blackroot, but there was none to be found." said Oin with a resigned shrug. "It isn't an absolute necessity, but tis a handy thing to have along." 

"That would be Mother's doing." said Elise. "She brought back many a sackful of pecans from her trip North, and she's determined to keep any furry little nibblers away from them with blackroot poison." She shook her head. "I told her Summer's all ready adopted a cat for that sort of thing. So you're quite welcome to it, Master Oin. I'll have it for you in the morning." Oin nodded his thanks, smiling through his beard in a pleased manner. 

"Speaking of your mother and her trip, did she happen to bring back any news along with her nuts?" asked Fili. Everyone in the room turned their attention to Elise; this was important business. 

"Not a peep." she said, shaking her head. "It would seem that if you go north of the Wildwood Inn, you may as well step off the edge of the world.

"Aye, but that's been true for that part of the country since forever." rumbled Dwalin. "I'm not sure men acutally live there anymore." 

"They do." interjected Gandalf. "But the villages are few and far between. So the lack of news, while disappointing, is not entirely unexpected." 

"From one direction." spoke up Gloin. "There are thee more to choose from."


	21. What Summer Knows...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Summer passes on a bit of information...

"Two." corrected Elise. "Anything coming from the west you'd have heard yourselves. From the south...nothing of importance. Just the usual gossip and complaints about the weather. And from the east...more of the same." she shook her head. "Dangers. People vanishing. Not just wandering fools, but seasoned travellers. People who know the ways of the road. Men speak of finding farmsteads destroyed, the inhabitants slain or driven away." Bofur rubbed his beard as a low murmur ran around the room. None of them was afraid of a fight, but all the same, this was not welcome news. Elise waited until the mutter of voices died down. "And there is more." she said, turning and looking pointedly at Summer. Tilting his head, Bofur raised his eyebrows. If Summer had picked up something where Elise had not, she must be learning very quickly indeed. 

"I'm not entirely sure how important any of this might be." Summer began, her voice quiet. Bofur noticed that Oin had to lean closer to catch her words. "But Elise seems to think it might matter, so I will tell you what I remember." Resting her elbows on the table, she laced her fingers together in front of her face and stared very hard at her thumbnails. "Some weeks ago, when I was still at...the other place, I...overheard...an argument between two brothers. One seemed quite angry at having to come so far north to take the mouintain pass when a southern route would have served better." She paused for a moment, working her mouth like a child eating a particularly distasteful vegetable. "The other brother said that he would not try the southern route for a river of ale, for it passed to close to the Forest. 'There are dark and evil things there.' he said, 'Things I cannot put a name to. That forest has become a foul, murky place and I want nothing to do with it.' They did not look like the type to be frightened by ghost stories or specters, so whatever had them frightened must be fearsome indeed." 

"Troubling news indeed." said Gandalf, leaning foreward. "Forgive me for belaboring you, but are you sure that neither of the men gave a name to this evil?" Summer shook her head. 

"None was given, and I did not ask for one." she said, looking up to meet the wizard's gaze. "I'm sorry I'm not more help." 

"Its all right." Gandalf said with a gentle half smile. "You've given me a trail to follow, even if it is a bit faint. I may do some asking of my own when we get closer to our destination." 

"What has a namless shadow in the forest to do with the Mountain or the dragon?" Thorin interjected.

"An evil that takes root in the south of the Greenwood may well spread north to Erebor." said Gandalf, turning his piercing eyes on Thorin. "You will have your hands quite full with Smaug. I shouldn't think you would want another enemy to deal with." Thorin conceded the point, albeit with a bit of grumbling. Discreetly, Bofur gave Summer's arm a gentle squeeze. He was pretty sure he could guess just how she had 'overheard' that argument and it pained his heart a little that she had to revisit those memories, even if only for a short while. 

The talk soon turned towards other things; strategy, route planning, what-ifs and should-we's of a long journey ahead. Some of the others were calling it a night-Ori and Nori excused themselves first; the younger brother's head had been drooping progressivly lower throughout the evening. Oin was next, citing the need to organize his medical stores and check to see if there was aught else that he might need to get in the morning before they left. 

"Think I'll go to." Bofur said, rising from his chair. "Our burglar is probably lonesome by himself." Bilbo hadn't even been present for the meeting; he'd been very tired from travelling and gone off to bed rather early. Bofur half suspected that it might also be because he still felt unwelcome in the Company; he resolved to try and remedy that situation. 

"I'll bring your glove to you as soon as Elise's finished it." Summer said to him as he walked behind her on his way to the door. 

"Many thanks lass." he said, giving her a nod and a smile as he headed out the door and up the stairs.


	22. Conspiratorial! Bilbo...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bilbo is a clever hobbit...

Bilbo padded down the hallway in his bare, hairy hobbit feet, trying to remember just which room Gandalf had said he would be staying in. He'd just spent a long, pleasureable while chatting with Bofur about anything and everything. Pipeweed-the Dwarvish stuff that Bofur was smoking was far too strong for Bilbo's liking, but it might blend well with Longbottom Leaf to take the edge off it. Food-it turned out that Bofur's brother Bombur was a very good cook; Bofur had spent a good long time waxing poetic about the pastries and sweetmeats the portly dwarf could conjure up, given the proper ingredients and implements. When Bilbo had gotten around to asking about the logistics and such of their journey, Bofur sheepishly admitted he was rather at a loss. 

"I'm just a simple miner." he'd said with a half smile. "Wrong kind of dwarf to be asking that sort of thing. You'd have better luck askin' Thorin or Balin." he frowned in thought for a second. "Actually, I think Thorin's just across the hall with Dwalin." 

"I think I'd much rather talk to Balin." Bilbo said. "It seems that I manage to annoy Thorin just by breathing or blinking. I can't imagine what would happen if I started badgering him with questions."

"He'll warm up to you." Bofur had said optimistically. Bilbo wished he felt the same. 

So that was how he found himself out in the hall, after being reassured several times by Bofur that he would not awaken him when he returned. 

"Sleep like a log." the Dwarf had said of himself, "So I kind of doubt I'll even hear you come in." 

Bilbo stopped and stood in the middle of the hall, frowning in thought. The number nine was coming to him for some reason; perhaps that was it. He was brought out of his memory searching by the sound of someone coming up the stairs. Straightening up and looking around, he saw that it was Summer. She caught sight of him as well and nodded in greeting. 

 

"Hello Master Baggins!" she chirped, giving him one of her cheery smiles. Charmed, he smiled right back.

"Hello Summer!" he said. Noticing the fingerless glove of Bofur's she was holding in her hands he leaned close to look at it. "That's a lovely bit of stitching you've done. Bofur will be so pleased to have it mended." 

"Yes, it is quite nice." she said, holding it up. "I wish I could say I'd done the work, but it was really Elise. She's got such clever fingers. Mine are more used to other things." She held her hands up and flexed her fingers once or twice; Bilbo could see the large calluses, doubtless from hours of hard labor. "But she says she will teach me." She smiled brightly at the idea. "She thinks I can learn."

"I have no doubt you can." said Bilbo. "So...you must be looking for Bofur then, yes?"

"Yes, yes I am." Bilbo didn't miss the way her eyes brightened just the tiniest bit at the mention of the Dwarf. It was as he suspected then. "Do you happen to know which room he's in? Elise handed out the keys and I don't want to bother her." Bilbo managed to suppress a smirk. He'd seen Kili walk down the other hallway with Elise and of course Summer didn't want to bother her. 

"Actually, I do. He's bunking with me, just down the hall." he said.

"Oh. Well." Summer blinked, and Bilbo could see she was doing her very best not to betray just how crestfallen she really was. Poor lass was so very smitten with Bofur, wasn't she. Well, far be it from him to keep a pair of lovebirds apart. 

"However..." he continued, "...I do have an awful lot of questions about this whole Quest business. I'm thinking I should ask Balin; he seems to be the least annoyed with me. He's staying with Gandalf, I believe. And he should be full of information as well, provided I can get a direct answer from him." He looked over at Summer, who was eyeing him with a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment. 

"Odds are, I will be spending the night with the two of them, trying desperatly to make sense of Dwarvish legends and wizardly ramblings. And I daresay Bofur would enjoy your company more than mine." He gave Summer a small conspiratorial grin and winked before stepping past her and heading down the hall to find his new bunkmates. As an afterthought, he turned around to bid Summer a good evening. 

"Nonono!" he managed to stopper his alarmed squawk down to an urgent whisper. Summer froze, her hand having just grasped the knob on the door. The _wrong_ door. " _That_ room belongs to Dwalin and Thorin." Summer's hand lept away as though burned. Eyebrows raised, she turned and pointed at the door on the opposite side of the hall. Bilbo nodded, and Summer smiled in thanks. "Enjoy your evening, Summer." he said quietly. 

"You as well, Master Baggins." he heard her softly reply as he turned back down the hall.


	23. D'awww!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a kiss. Finally!

Bofur sat in the room's lone armchair, hat hung on a peg, bootless feet resting on a small stool, smoking his pipe. It was warm despite the open window, so he'd shed his heavy outer clothes and undone half the buttons on his undershirt. He'd even taken a quick bath eariler (probably the last one he would get in a long while) and left his hair loose to dry properly. He took a drag on his pipestem and exhaled through his nose; the hobbit had insisted this particular leaf was the best in the whole Shire-Old Tony? Tory? Toby? He'd have to ask Bilbo when he came back. A soft knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. Perhaps that was Bilbo now and he'd have an answer to his question! Getting up, he set his pipe on the mantle, strode over to the door and opened it. 

"Summer!" he exclaimed. Part of his mind tutted at him and said to go and put some clothes on, he was only half dressed for Durin's sake! But the other part smacked him upside the head and told him not to be silly, it was rude to leave a guest, especially someone like Summer, waiting in the hall. "Come in!' he said, stepping to one side and letting her through. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your stoppin' by and seein' me?"

"Elise finished your glove, and I figured I'd best return it tonight lest it get forgotten about in the morning." Summer said, holding out the article in question with a smile. Returning her smile, Bofur took it from her and held it up to look at it. 

"She's done a fine job-even matched the color right." he said in approval. 

"She had to badger Ori a bit for the thread. And apparently Nori was bathing when she knocked and Ori blushed about a dozen shades of red when she looked over his shoulder and asked if he'd like company." 

"Oh the poor lad." Bofur shook his head. "Was Dori nearby?" 

"Of course." Summer said with a nod. 

"Properly scandalized was he?" Bofur continued with a grin. He respected the older dwarf greatly, but his fussiness made him so very easy to tease. And it was just as much fun when he wasn't the one doing the teasing. 

"Quite." Summer said with a laugh. Quite suddenly, she stopped in mid chortle and looked at him. 

"Something wrong?" Bofur asked, throwing a look over his shoulder. No...nothing back there. 

"I..no, its nothing really. I only just now realized...you've got your hair loose." she said, gesturing at his head. 

"Oh." said Bofur, taking hold of a few strands and picking them up. "Still damp, so I daren't braid it just now. Perhaps before I go to sleep or right away in the morning." 

"That's something else Elise has promised to teach me. Proper plaiting." Summer smiled. "Although I think perhaps we'll start on yarns first. I've no doubt I'd make a rat's nest if I tried it in her hair."

"Oh no, its easy!" said Bofur brightly. "I'll teach you right now." It was a small thing, really. He wished he had more of a parting gift for her, but in some ways, this was fitting. Each time she wove a plait, she might think of him. 

"Tea...right now?" Summer blinked. Bofur nodded enthusiastically. 

"Three strand plait is a snap to learn, really." he said. "You'll have it in a few minutes." Reaching up, he finger combed through his shock of dark hair before parting it down the middle and then dividing one half into three strands. "Here, your hands go like this."

"In...in your hair." Summer's voice was not quite a squeak, but there was an uncertain quiver to it. He looked over at her and smiled encouragingly. 

"You won't hurt me lass. I promise." he said. Summer bit on her bottom lip for a second before deciding. He recognized the deep breath and minute shoulder square from weeks ago when he'd first rescued her. She stepped close to him and laced her fingers into his hair. "Right then. The strand on the right there, it gets pulled overtop the middle one, and that middle one goes out to the right a bit, underneath the right one. Then the strand on the left gets pulled overtop the middle one, and the middle one goes underneath to become the left strand." Her fingers slid through his hair, and he didn't care if she was tying knots into it, it still felt lovely. Even moreso because she was the one doing it. "And now, right to the middle, over top the middle strand. And then the left again." Something was...off, though. Not quite right. "Summer?" he questioned, turning his head to look at her. He couldn't be sure...but he thought he might have felt her hands trembling. And if she was that uncomfortable braiding his hair, then he certainly wasn't going to force her. Gently, he caught one of her hands in both of his...and yes, she was trembling. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking into those green eyes for an answer. 

"Bofur..." she began, and her free hand untangled from his hair and trailed down the side of his face. "Bofur, I..." her voice cracked.

"Lass, whatever it is, its all right." he said, trying to ease her fear of....he didn't know. But she was frightened of something, and he wanted to ease that fear. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and offered her a smile, which she returned. Good. "Now," he said, "What's wrong?" He felt her hands-one still clasped in both of his, the other resting at his neck-tighten slightly. He heard her draw a deep breath, saw something flicker through her eyes....as she leaned in and kissed him. 

Her mouth was warm and wet and mobile against his lips. She tasted faintly of cider and cinnamon and vanilla and he wanted to fix it in his memory forever because it was Summer, and she was kissing him. And for half a moment, he let himself forget everything. He let himself enjoy it, let himself kiss her back. And then, reluctantly, he broke from her. 

"Summer," he began, knowing where this had come from. And, much as he might want her, he wasn't going to take advangage of her. "Summer, you don..." but she shushed him with a finger at his lips. 

"I know." she said. "I know I don't have to. But I want to. And I _want_ to" she kept her finger firmly in place, silencing any protests. "because I care for you. _Not_ because I feel obligated, _not_ because I'm bored and want a tumble." She blinked a couple of times, and he realized there were tears in her eyes. "I don't have words," she removed her finger from his mouth and tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear,"for how happy I was when word came that your party had arrived in Bree." She was blinking faster, trying to keep her tears in check. Bofur could see now what was in her mind. He was leaving on the morrow. To go on a dangerous journey from which he might not return. With one hand, he reached up to gently cup her cheek, brushing away a tear that had indeed escaped the corner of her eye. 

"Don't cry." he whispered, "Please don't be sad. Breaks my heart to see you sad." Summer nodded, screwing her eyes shut tight. 

"I know, I'm sorry." she said, voice cracking. "Elise says I should be brave, and I'm trying, I truly am but...but what if you go and don't come back? What if I never see you again?" She wiped her now free flowing tears with the heel of her hand. "I want...I wish I had words, but words aren't enough...." she gestured helplessly, "...I can't make them mean what I want them to. They're not strong enough."

"Oh Summer." Bofur breathed, bringing her to him in a hug. He cared for her, yes. As more than a caretaker and rescuer, yes. But he'd never let himself hope that she would actually feel the same. Until now. Heart pounding, he twined his fingers into her hair and tilted her head so he could gently capture her lips with his own.


	24. Clothes off!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they get naked. Mostly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of this installment! Computer problems plus real life busy-ness kind of got in the way of things. But anyways, another chapter! Included a bit from beforehand so the pick-up wouldn't be so wonky...

"Oh Summer." Bofur breathed, bringing her to him in a hug. He cared for her, yes. As more than a caretaker and rescuer, yes. But he'd never let himself hope that she would actually feel the same. Until now. Heart pounding, he twined his fingers into her hair and tilted her head so he could gently capture her lips with his own. And when he broke from her this time, it was to kiss away the tears still clinging to her eyelashes. "Are you truly sure?" he murmured softly, cradling her against his chest. 

"Yes." she leaned into him, turned her head and placed kisses to his throat. Her hands came up between them and her nimble fingers worked loose the remaining few buttons on his shirt. But when they fluttered lower to the lacings on his breeches, he siezed them carefully and brought them away. 

"Later." he said quietly, kissing her knuckles. "Worry about that later." Confusion flickered across Summer's face. 

"You don't want me to...." her brows creased in a slight frown. "But why..."

"We've got all night, Summer." Bofur said, stroking a thumb across her fingers. "And there's no reason to hurry things. In fact," he added with a grin, "I'd like to see how long I can make things last for you." Summer tilted her head. 

"Make things last...for me?" she raised an eyebrow. "But I thought I was the one...." she trailed off uncertainly. 

"Oh Summer." Bofur could not help his grin growing a bit wider. "I like to give pleasure every bit as much as I like to get it." 

"Really?" There was still a hint of unease in her voice, but there was also more than a little interest. 

"Oh aye." he murmured, dropping her hands so he could place his own on her hips and run them up over her body. "I like to touch, I like to stroke, I like to lick, I like to taste." With this last declaration, he dropped his lips to hers for a quick kiss. "You, love, you taste like cider." he said, licking his lips. "Delicious." Summer blinked, mildly flustered, before plucking up a bit of courage.

"You taste of our Dark Horse Ale." she said "Which is just fine, since I rather like it." Pleased with this display of nerve, Bofur chuckled.

"Since when do you drink ale?" he asked.

"Since I serve the stuff to everyone that walks through our door. If asked about the qualities of a particular brew, I want to be able to answer truthfully." she retorted. "Dark Horse is my favorite."

"Is it now?" Bofur asked. Summer nodded. "Would you like another taste?" Her grin was as good as permission granted, and he caught her lips again, the kiss deeper and more intense than before. He laced his finges through her golden hair to guide her, to slow her if need be. He could feel her own hands sliding up his back, wrapping around his shoulders. Many heartbeats later, he freed his lips from hers to take a few short breaths. "There is.."he interrupted himself to place another peck on her lips,"...a small problem, however." 

"There is?" Summer pulled back a bit, sounding genuinely worried. 

"Oh yes." Bofur continued, trying to keep his tone serious. "You see...you're still dressed." He grinned as Summer swatted at him. "Luckily, that problem is easily solved." he continued, fingering the top button of her blouse. Raising his eyebrows in a questioning manner, he looked up at her and asked "May I?" Her smile melted his heart. 

"Yes." she affirmed. Granted leave, he thumbed the buttons of her shirt open and let it slide down her arms to the floor, dropping kisses onto the newly exposed skin of her shoulders. 

"This to?" he asked of her skirt, and she nodded. More buttons were undone, more material fell to the floor. The undergarments were a little more difficult, since they involved laces and hooks, but with a little work, they soon joined everything else on the floor and Summer stood naked before him. 

"Beautiful." Bofur breathed. Blushing, Summer looked unsure of herself. 

"I don't know..." she said, unconciously rubbing a hand over what had to be a burn mark on her chest. "I'm..."  
"Beautiful." Bofur repeated, quietly but firmly. He took her hand, the one she'd been tracing those scars with, and drew her to him. 

"I was going to say scarred." she said quietly. Bofur cupped her cheek with his free hand and kissed her.

"Aye, you are." he said when he released her lips. "And I hope some day you'll let me kiss every last one of them." He smiled at her, nuzzled his nose against hers. "And you're still beautiful." 

"If you say so." Summer said, but she was smiling. 

"Oh I do." affirmed Bofur, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned against her, skin to skin, and kissed her again. He didn't think he would ever grow tired of it: the way she seemed to just melt into him, her lovely soft sighs, her hands roaming over his body.

Slowly, using mostly his weight and the occasional gentle nudge, he managed to work the two of them back to the bed without breaking his lips from hers. He did, however, have to release her to lay her down on the blankets and pillows; but only for as long as it took him to lay himself atop her body and reclaim her mouth. She gave another one of those pleased sounding sighs and tangled her fingers into his hair. Bofur smiled against her lips as he wondered what other sounds he could coax from her if he tried.


	25. Ticklish!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to rate this chapter mature. Because things start to move along.

With a final lick at her lips, he left her mouth and trailed kisses down her throat. Gentle, lips and tongue-not even the barest hint of teeth against her tender skin. Over that dreadful burn mark-he paid a little extra attention to it, kissing diagonally down the scar tissue-before arriving at the dusky pink nub of her nipple. He licked and suckled it ever so delicately, mindful still of his teeth. He knew some found pleasure in the gentle pinch, but he wasn't about to try that with Summer. Tenderly, he fondled her other breast with his free hand-stroking lightly over the soft flesh with his knuckles, gently thumbing the nipple with the calloused pad of his finger. Over his own throbbing heartbeat, he could hear Summer's long, deep breaths and feel her body trembling underneath him. Raising his eyes, he was met with the sight of her caught up in pleasure-eyes wide and dark, biting her bottom lip in an effort to keep quiet.

"Its all right." he said soothingly, lifting himself a bit more so he could look at her directly. "You don't have to be silent. You can speak if you like." Bringing a hand up to stroke her face, he added "In fact, I'd rather enjoy hearing you."

"You would?" Summer's voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper. Bofur nodded with a smile. 

"Oh aye." he murmured. "I like knowing what I'm doing is making you feel good." He raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Yes." Summer breathed, nodding vigorously. "Oh yes." Bofur's grin widened and he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. 

"Then I'll get back to it, hmm?" he said, watching her eyes for an answer. 

"Yes. Yes please." affirmed Summer. With that answer, Bofur returned to his ministrations. Trailing lips and tongue over pale skin, fingers gently kneading and stroking. And Summer-sweet, lovely Summer-responded. Her sighs now contained words: "oh" and "Please" and "yes". She breathed his name when he parted her thighs; he clenched his teeth on a groan and drew a calming breath as heat spiked in his blood. 

"You'll like this." he said, placing a kiss just below her navel. Her thighs quivered underneath his hands as he slid lower. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she squeaked and recoiled. Panicked, Bofur let her go and pushed himself halfway up. "Summer? Summer, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" He could not keep the note of fear from the edges of his voice. Oh Mahal, what had he done? 

"Its...no, you didn't hurt me." Summer said, blushing crimson. "It was....your beard, it tickled." She smiled sheepishly. "It was...unexpected." Bofur breathed a huge sigh of relief and allowed himself to settle back down between her legs. 

"Lass," he said, lifting his gaze to look at her with a smile. "I'll do a lot more than just tickle you, if you let me." Summer nodded, still slightly pink around the ears. Granted permission, Bofur dropped lower and nuzzled the curls at the juncture of her thighs. "Spun gold." he murmured softly, placing a delicate kiss on the folds of flesh he found there. He rather doubted she'd ever been shown anything resembling kindness in bed, and he resolved to do his very best to remedy that situation. Another kiss, and this time he let his tongue slide gently into her, resulting in a soft gasp. He repeated the action, drawing his tongue up and over her clit in a long, slow swipe. Not a gasp this time, but a slow, trembling breath. He did it yet again, and again, and again. And kept on doing it. Slowly, carefully. Making ample use of tongue and lips and once (quite by accident) his nose. Summer only trembled under his hands at first, but as he delved deeper, licked and sucked a little harder, her trembles strengthened into shaking and then squirming and arching into his mouth. Bofur smiled as he worked her gently but firmly; _this_ was the giving that he so enjoyed. Every moan and gasp, every flex of her fingers in his hair, every tremor of her body under his hands-he drank them all in like a man dying of thirst. His own body was clamoring for attention, but he ignored it. He could take care of his own needs later. Summer was the focus of his attention now. 

"Bofur." Oh, the way his name sounded in her voice. He licked again, delving deep between her folds, lavishing attention on her clit. "Oh....oh gods Bofur, please, please...I can't...oh please..." She was pulling insistently at his hair, and so he left her and slid up her body-only the tiniest bit reluctant. He had rather hoped she would let him take her to completion with his mouth; the taste of her was swiftly becoming addicting and he wanted more. But if she wished otherwise he would be equally happy. His fingers, while calloused, were clever and nimble from years of carving. Perhaps he could kiss her as he stroked her to climax, swallowing her cries and gasps. Or he could murmur sweet things in her ear, leave her mouth free to give voice to her pleasure.


	26. Sweet Bofur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bofur is a sweet lover...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brought on a little bit from the last chapter so the pickup wouldn't be so strange. Should probably rate this Mature because of actual sex.

"Bofur." Oh, the way his name sounded in her voice. He licked again, delving deep between her folds, lavishing attention on her clit. "Oh....oh gods Bofur, please, please...I can't...oh please..." She was pulling insistently at his hair, and so he left her and slid up her body-only the tiniest bit reluctant. He had rather hoped she would let him take her to completion with his mouth; the taste of her was swiftly becoming addicting and he wanted more. But if she wished otherwise he would be equally happy. His fingers, while calloused, were clever and nimble from years of carving. Perhaps he could kiss her as he stroked her to climax, swallowing her cries and gasps. Or he could murmur sweet things in her ear, leave her mouth free to give voice to her pleasure. Oh yes, he thought as he sprinkled kisses on her breastbone, it would be lovely indeed to hear his name fall from her lips some more. But he would kiss her first. He wanted to feel her lips soft and mobile against his. He bowed his head and she came up, meeting him halfway, causing him to smile into the kiss. She was no longer timid; there was eagerness in the way her mouth moved, the way her tongue sought his. She wanted, that much was plain.

"More." she sighed against his lips, barely breaking from him. "Please Bofur, more. Please." 

"Aye, love." he murmured, ghosting one of his hands down her body. To his surprise, she caught it, held it fast with both of her own.

"No." she said with a shake of her head. She dropped a kiss on his knuckles. "All of you. Please?" The last word was a request, made in a voice heavy with pleasure. 

"Oh...." Bofur breathed. "Oh Summer, I..." he trailed off, searching for the right words. He'd thought about it, true enough. Thought about sliding into the silken heat of her body. More than once. But not once this evening had he considered that it might actually happen. He remembered what she had endured before she had come here; there was no telling what might have been done to her. "What if I hurt you?" He reached up to cup her face, stroked a thumb across her cheek. 

"You won't." Summer whispered, nuzzling into his palm. Bofur swallowed, wet his lips, as she looked up at him with beseeching eyes. Yes. He dropped a kiss to her lips as he retrieved his hand from both of hers and sat up just far enough to get at the lacings on his breeches. He could not supress a sigh as he slid the material down his legs, freeing his cock from the confining garment. 

"Are you truly sure?" he whispered to her as he laid himself between her thighs. His length was pressed between their bodies and every time one of them shifted or moved, it sent flickering sparks of pleasure through him. Summer lifted herself up, kissing him, sliding against him and he groaned into her mouth. 

"Yes." she said. There was no hesitation, no quiver of uncertainty in her voice. She deepened the kiss, affirming her words with action. Carefully, Bofur leaned into her, using his weight to lay her back until he was holding himself over her. Slowly, gently, he eased into her. He would not hurt her; he would not thrust blindly. This was Summer he pierced, and it was as much the knowledge of this as the sensations washing over him that had him trembling as though with fever. Once sheathed inside her, he stilled, gathering his control and groping about for words. 

 

"Summer." he murmured, placing a kiss on her jaw. When had his voice gotten so rough? "My beautiful Summer." He felt her hand come up and stroke his face; he turned and kissed the palm, nipped oh-so-carefully at the fingertips. Her breath was coming in deep, hard pants that gusted in his ear and down his neck. Slowly he withdrew-only a little-and pushed inside her again, drawing a quiet moan from her throat. Again he pulled back and slid foreward, and again, and again. He rocked into her gently, rolling his hips against hers. Her hands, tangled in his hair, fell from his head to ball up in the sheets at her sides. Moans and whimpers and soft cries fell from her lips. Bofur gritted his teeth. Pleasure was washing over him, threatening to fray his hard won control, but he would not give in. He would see her orgasm take her; he would feel it as her body spasmed around his cock and she arched up against him. "Lovely." he called her in Khuzdul, hoping that the effort of remembering the ancient language would serve as enough distraction. "Beautiful." he murmured. He placed open mouthed kisses on her neck, feeling the hammering pulse under his lips. "Beloved." She was trembling now, shaking beneath him, her breath coming in short, quick gasps. He was moving faster, thrusting just the slightest bit harder, urging her towards her peak. "Treasure." he ground out, his face buried in her neck, eyes screwed tight shut. He felt her arch into him, her back bent into a bow. Tremors wracked her body and she moaned his name as she tightened hard around his cock, her climax swamping her like a tidal wave. Bofur took her through it, neither slackening nor quickening his pace, letting her ride out the pleasure. But his arms were trembling and his breath was tearing in his lungs when she finally opened her eyes to look at him. "Summer...." he tried to keep the note of desperation from his voice. Even now, at the very ragged end of his control, he would stop if she wished. But he needn't have feared. Her arms came up around him, pulling him to her. 

"Yes." she whispered. Bofur loosed a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding and allowed himself to move. Scarcely half a dozen heartbeats later he came, spending himself inside her with a deep groan.


	27. Cuddles!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pillow talk between the two of them. And snuggles.

The feel of Summer's fingers carding through his hair was what brought him slowly out of his blissful haze. He stirred, trying to summon the strength to prop himself up so as not to be crushing her.

  
"Are you all right Bofur?" There were still traces of her earlier ecstasy in her voice, like flecks of gold at the bottom of a stream.

  
"Oh Summer, love." he couldn't help but chuckle as he shifted to lay beside her. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gave her a beatific smile. "I am much more than all right. I am _leagues_ beyond all right." He pulled her close for a quick peck on the lips. "Yourself?" It wasn't vanity; a small part of his mind was still concerned-despite the evidence to the contrary-that in the course of loving her that he might have hurt her. But the happiness in her smile and the shine in her eyes washed all worry from his heart.

  
"Wonderful." she murmured, snuggling close to him. He noticed, though, that she was shivering slightly and there was gooseflesh prickled up and down her arms.

  
"Blanket wouldn't go amiss though, would it?" he asked, looking over at her.

  
"That would be nice." she said, sitting up a bit so he could untangle himself from her arms. He swung his legs down (kicking off his breeches in the process) and padded over to his packs from which he fetched a cloth.

  
"Thought maybe a bit of a rinse might be all right to." he explained, seeing her quizzical look as he soaked it in the washbasin. He walked back over, stooping down to pick from the floor the blanket that had been at the foot of the bed. "May I?' he asked, holding up the damp cloth. She nodded with a soft smile and he smiled in return before setting to his task, running the cloth over her body gently, turning each touch into a caress. As soon as he was finished, she took it from him and returned the favor, stroking over his shoulders and across his back, down his chest and belly. With a contented sigh, he laid back and let himself enjoy her attentions. When she was done, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close. She threw an arm across his chest, twisting her fingers into the hair there, and pillowed her head on his shoulder.

  
"So, I think I know the answer, but I'm going to ask you anyway." Summer said, turning her head so she could look at him. There were no tears in her eyes, but neither was there that happy sparkle that he was so fond of. "Must you leave tomorrow?"

  
"Aye love, I must." Bofur carded his fingers through her hair, gently combing the knots out of the golden strands, and she leaned into his touch.

  
"Elise says the treasure you're after is possibly the greatest ever seen in Middle Earth." she said with a sigh. "Are you doing this for the gold, then?" Bofur stroked her hair, considering.

  
"Well, I'd be lying if I said the gold wasn't a part of it." he finally said. "But that's not all of it. Its...Erebor is home. Its a place to belong. We Dwarves, we're...displaced. Unhomed. Erebor is the answer to that." He leaned foreward to kiss her forehead. "And once this dragon slaying business is over, I'll come back to fetch you and we can make a home together, if you'll have me." He swallowed hard. He'd just laid bare his heart, and he was more than a little afraid. Afraid of too much, too soon. Afraid that he'd frightened Summer away by laying all this on her. But he was more afraid of not saying it.

  
"And...and what if I say no?" Summer's voice was soft, eyes downcast. "What if I say that I don't want to live in some great faraway mountain? Would that keep you?"  There was sadness in her words, as though it hurt her to say them.

  
"No, I'm afraid it wouldn't." Bofur said quietly, his heart twisting. "I'd still leave in the morning, still make the journey to reclaim Erebor. I'd just come back here to you after it was all over." Summer looked up at that, and this time there were tears in her eyes.

  
"You would go through all that-countless miles, climb a mountain range, fight a dragon, reclaim your home...and then leave it all to come back to me."

  
"I would, love." Bofur said. "I've a part to play in this quest, for good or bad. If I can lend my hammer in retaking the Mountain, I certainly will. But its all hollow without you." he wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye. With a strangled sob, she buried her face in his chest.

  
"You selfless, noble, stubborn ass of a dwarf." she mumbled. "Bremen is going to be thoroughly displeased with you when I leave."

  
"When you..." Bofur's heart, just seconds ago wrenched in pain, suddenly lightened.

  
"Yes, when I leave. With you, to go to Erebor. I would go tomorrow, but I would probably be more in the way than I would be helpful." She sniffled and wiped her tearstained face with one hand. "I followed you once. I see no reason I should not again."


	28. Parting is such sweet sorrow...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the two separate. Because someone's got to look after the Burglar.

"When you..." Bofur's heart, just seconds ago wrenched in pain, suddenly lightened.  
"Yes, when I leave. With you, to go to Erebor. I would go tomorrow, but I would probably be more in the way than I would be helpful." She sniffled and wiped her tearstained face with one hand. "I followed you once. I see no reason I should not again."  
+++++++++++  
"Goodbye Bofur." Summer whispered in his ear as he embraced her. She'd hugged Fili and Kili all ready, thoroughly admonishing them to behave themselves, to which they wondered aloud how that would be any fun. It was early morning, just after breakfast, and the Company was setting out. Summer hugged him back,one hand pressed against his chest, just over his heart. There was a pocket there, and in it was one of her braids, wound into a circlet and held with one of the clasps he'd given her on the road. She'd given it to him earlier, when they'd said their own private farewell up in his room.

_"Something to remember me by." she'd said with a soft smile. He'd clasped it to his heart and smiled in return._

_"Oh Summer." he'd said. "As if I could ever forget you." But then a small, niggling thought crossed his mind, "And here I stand without a parting gift for you." he'd said with a small frown. Summer had taken his hand then, and placed kisses on each of his knuckles._

_"But you have given me a gift all ready." she'd said. "Memories. Beautiful, wonderful memories that will cheer me when I'm sad and warm me when I'm cold." She drew his hand to her, pulling him close along with it. "May I have one last one?" she'd asked. He'd kissed her soundly, pouring into it every emotion and feeling that words alone could not convey. And when they'd parted, there were tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. They'd both stood in silence then, wrapped in one another's arms, as the first rays of the rising sun peeked through the curtains._

The kiss he gave her now was more chaste; it was only a peck on the lips really. But the weight of emotion was still there in her eyes, in the tiniest tremble of her voice when she added, "Keep safe."

"I will Summer." he promised. Smiling crookedly, he thumbed away a tear that had escaped the corner of her eyes. "I love you." he said quietly, tucking her now lone braid behind her ear. 

"I love you to." she said, catching his hand and squeezing it. He squeezed back, before stepping back and letting go. Nori and Dori had finished cinching the last of the packs onto the pony and were mounting up. It was time to leave. Putting a foot into the stirrup , he took hold of the reins and saddle and swung up. Falling into line beside their Burglar, he cast one last look over his shoulder. Summer was still looking, hands clasped together, hair flamed into blazing gold by the morning sun. He saw Elise put a hand on her shoulder and say something to her. Summer's hands loostened, and one of hers came up to Elise's. Her other hand-and Elise's as well-lifted in a final wave of farewell. Bofur returned the gesture, and his heavy heart lightened a little. Summer was in good hands, and with fate willing, he would see her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you. Thank you thankyouthankyou to everyone who hung tough with me through this. Thank you for the encouragement you gave me, the comments you wrote me, the love that you showed me. This was so much fun!
> 
> So, the next question is...do you want more? I have another story. Same universe. Different dwarf, different lass. Because hey, its only September. We've still got three and a half months till Desolation comes out!


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